Destiny Of A Hero
by slickboy444
Summary: Sequel to Worse Than Death. Jack has been having many terrible nightmares lately. They begin to take a toll as a new darkness decends upon Bayville. This darkness, however, is far more than it seems! XmenZelda, JackRogue, ScottJean.
1. Ominous Feelings

Destiny Of A Hero  
  
By: slickboy444  
  
AN: Hello! Jack Robinson is back! This is the sequel to "Worse Than Death" that I have been planning for a while. Some of the details in this story relate to my the last fic, so I suggest you all read that one before you start with this one. If you want to know the whole series to this point, the stories are "Xtra Member," "Matchmaker," and "Worse Than Death." Before I get started I wish to thank one of my reviewers, Krall, for helping me with this story. And don't for get to REVIEW! Please tell me what you all think by posting it on fanfiction.net or send it to me at slickboy444@aol.com. Remember, I don't own the X-men, Zelda, or any of the songs I may mention in this story so please don't sue. I have nothing. Thanks and I hope you enjoy this story.  
  
All my x-men evolution fics are dedicated to Jen (aka: littlesortaredheadedgirl) the author of the x-men evolution fic "Snow." I highly recommend you all read it.   
  
AN: 'These mean character thoughts.'  
  
***********************************  
  
It had been a month and a half since the dreaded rampage of Morris, the madman that tortured and terrorized innocent people throughout the Northeast. He was dead now, thanks to the efforts of the X-men. With magic from the knowledge of Jack Robinson, the surviving victims made a full recovery. However, Jack didn't take that much pleasure in the accomplishment. After all, it was Scott and Jean who actually killed Morris and it was Scott who cast the healing spell that cured the victims. Despite the praise of his friends he still felt as if he failed them. They never knew Jack's true reasons for his attitude towards the subject. It was mainly because he knew how powerful he was from the triforce, but it took a weak spell from a madman to bring him to his knees. His mind was surging with self-doubt as he sat near the cliff behind the institute with his guitar.  
  
"Hey Jack..." said a voice from behind him.  
  
Jack turned around to see that it was Rogue, one of the few people besides Scott and the Professor he ever talked to at all anymore.  
  
"Hey Rogue," replied Jack dryly.  
  
Rogue walked up to where he was sitting.  
  
"Mind if I sit?" she asked.  
  
"Sure," replied Jack simply as he resumed strumming his guitar.  
  
For the past few weeks Rogue had been trying to get Jack to open up. Since Morris incident he closed himself off more than ever. She knew what was bothering him because he had actually told her at one point. Yet, she promised not to tell the rest of the institute. For a moment they sat in silence as Rogue listened to the gentle sounds of Jack's guitar.  
  
"The others have been worried about ya lately," said Rogue breaking the silence.  
  
Jack stopped playing for just a moment.  
  
"I had feeling they were."  
  
"Well...Can ya blame em?" replied Rogue. "You haven't exactly been too up front lately."  
  
"I know." Jack then went back to strumming his guitar, this time in a more saddened mood.  
  
Rogue began to get frustrated with his reluctance. If he knew, then why was he keeping it up? There had to be a reason.  
  
"Look Jack, ya know how the rest of us have been feelin' about ya lately and we've been tryin' to help ya the whole time, but we can't unless..."  
  
"Rogue..." said Jack as he cut her off. She stopped immediately as Jack turned to look at her straight in the eye. In his eyes, there seemed to be untold amounts of inner conflict. "I'm sorry, I really am. But ever since you, the professor, and everybody else has been telling me it's time for me to confront my past...There have been many other things I've had to deal with...Things that I have tried very hard over the years to forget. And you also must understand...There are other things in my past I haven't told you or anybody else yet."  
  
Rogue sighed upon hearing this, knowing he was being truthful.  
  
"I know ya need time," said Rogue, "But ya also need to remember, that despite how bad yer past was...Ya survived, and it helped make ya strong."  
  
"And weak at the same time," added Jack.  
  
"And that's what we're tryin' to help ya with," said Rogue as she forced her point across. "Ya aren't alone here, we know how it feels to have a hard upbringing. I myself can relate."  
  
"That's why I talk to you," replied Jack in a lighter tone.  
  
Rogue smiled in light of this small, but welcomed change.  
  
"I'm glad...I really am."  
  
An awkward silence soon followed as the sounds of the night became the only thing that could be heard. Neither of them said anything for a good five minutes.  
  
"So...Anything else on your mind?" said Rogue suddenly wanting to break the silence.  
  
"Well besides bad dreams and everything that's happened to me, I don't think so," replied Jack.  
  
"Bad dreams? About what?" asked Rogue curiously.  
  
Jack just shook his head. "I wish I knew."  
  
***************************************  
  
In the distance from the windows of the mansion, Scott and Jean looked out over where Jack and Rogue were. They had also grown concerned for Jacks well being, but unlike the rest of the crew they actually saw what happened in the fight between Jack and Morris. They knew that the madman had some lasting effects on Jack's psyche and concern for him grew. Whatever Morris did to him, it wasn't something that disappeared so easily.  
  
"I'm still worried about him Scott," said Jean as she watched Jack start to strum his guitar again.  
  
"So am I," responded Scott.  
  
Scott had been one of the few other people Jack was willing to talk to, but it was still limited. It didn't set either of their fears to rest.  
  
"I just wish there was something...Anything we could do," said Scott.  
  
"Same here, I know he needs it. I just can't imagine what Morris did to his mind," said Jean.  
  
"Has he let you probe his mind or have you picked up any stray thoughts of his?" asked Scott.  
  
Jean immediately shook her head. "No way, Jack takes mental shielding to a whole new level. Even the professor can't make a dent in his shield."  
  
Scott sighed, "I just hope we can help him soon. I really can't stand to see him like this...I mean, we owe him so much. He saved us twice in the past and found the spell to cure Morris's victims." Scott's tone then grew softer. "It's also because of him...We're together now."  
  
Jean then put her hand in Scott's as she smiled back at him.  
  
"You're right, we really do owe him," replied Jean.  
  
**********************************  
  
Around midnight, clouds formed over the sky and a steady rain began to fall over the landscape. Around this time, a single train arrived at the station on the other side of Bayville. It was the same train station Kurt had arrived at. There were few people on the train, but after it stopped a dark, ominous figure stepped out on to the platform. He was a tall, cloaked man that seemed to hide his appearance. Underneath the robe, a face that was old, wrinkled, and pale looked up in to the distance. His eyes were a sickening black with red pupils. He had long white hair and strange markings on his face. The stranger also carried a mysterious staff with a crystal skull head on the top. As he began to walk away towards an unknown destination, a sinister grin appeared on his face and a strange purple glow illuminated the strange man's dark face.  
  
"Ah..." he said to himself, "My new minions await me...And the time of destiny approaches."  
  
Then, the mysterious man disappeared in a cloud of blacken mist in to the night.  
  
**************************************  
  
Once again, Jack was jolted from his sleep in a cold sweat. His breathing was hard and ragged as he fought to regain his composure. He had just had another nightmare. It was nothing new to him, but lately the nightmares had gotten stranger and stranger. It was almost as if he were having two at the same time. In one, the lingering effects from Morris bought forth images of his past that had been once forgotten, but they had returned with intense imagery. In the other, he saw a mysterious man in a dark robe and a monstrous pig-like beast attacking his friends and enslaving all mutants in order to exterminate mankind. What disturbed him even more was he felt as if he had seen this creature before when he knew he hadn't. Jack had to calm himself down, so he began to meditate. He took a few deep breaths and then closed his eyes. In what seemed like only a few moments he saw a familiar figure appear in front of him and he then heard a familiar voice.  
  
"You look very troubled Jack."  
  
Jack recognized the figure and the voice as that of his master and reincarnation, Link.  
  
"Master...It's good to see you again," said Jack.  
  
"Indeed, but it looks to me that all is not well in your world," replied Link.  
  
"It never is master."  
  
"Oh don't be so pessimistic. I'm aware about what happened with that evil man, Morris. I saw how you helped end his terror, but you don't seem to relish this achievement very much now do you?" asked Link.  
  
"No...I didn't stop him. My friends did," retorted Jack.  
  
"You still played a major part none-the-less."  
  
"Yeah...That may be so...But," Jack then just trailed off as he was at a loss for words. Link picked up on his disposition and knew there was more.  
  
"It appears Morris had a few lingering effects on you mind," stated Link.  
  
"More than a few...A lot more. Master...I failed when I fought him."  
  
"Now why do you say that?" asked Link.  
  
"I had more power, I had more skill, and I had more sanity. But he still beat me with one blow. And it was a cheap one. This guy used a mediocre spell that just...Brought me to my knees." As Jack spoke these words the incident played out in his head over and over again.  
  
"That mediocre spell was all he needed Jack. Now, you have found out that you have a weakness. Even with all your power you have a weakness."  
  
Jack looked back at his master, who was smiling for some reason.  
  
"But...You've taught me so..." however Jack was then cut off.  
  
"Have you talked to your friends about it? What about that girl you've been spending a lot of time with lately?"  
  
Jack looked back at his master with a what-are-you-talking-about face.  
  
"I have talked to them...But it doesn't help! It should, I know it! But it doesn't..." Jack said with a heavy sigh.  
  
Link just shook his head. "My dear pupil...Maybe you need to fully understand what kind of spell Morris actually put on you in the first place."  
  
Jack looked back at his master quizzically.  
  
"What are you talking about?" he asked.  
  
"Maybe there is more to this matter than you think," replied Link simply.  
  
Suddenly, a small hint of understanding came across Jack's mind. Link then started to turn away, but Jack had one more question.  
  
"Wait, Master...There's one more thing I must ask you."  
  
Link then turned around.  
  
"I've been having these weird dreams lately...Well, more like nightmares. I keep seeing this strange being and..." Jack couldn't finish, he couldn't find the words for some reason.  
  
"That is a sign Jack," said Link as Jack looked back at him with a confused face. "It is a sign of what's to come for you. I can't tell you anymore...Because you'll find out soon enough."  
  
Suddenly Jack was back in his room. He felt calmer, but he was now overcome with a new anxiety.  
  
"I'll find out soon enough..." repeated Jack as he pondered his master's words.  
  
It was frustrating, but he had come to expect that from his master over the time he had known him. He always had a reason for his actions and that reason always turned out to be a good one in the end. Yet, Jack Robinson still sat there in the dark in a state of confusion. He felt his mental health slipping from his withdraw after the whole Morris ordeal. And on top of that, there were these new dreams that haunted him in the night. These images in his head were like a perpetual scar that only worsened whenever he thought or talked about it. It was contrary to what he thought would help him. But if there was one thing Jack learned from his master it was that internal wounds can never be healed, they can only be treated. And Jack's situation was no exception. He groggily tried to go back to sleep, but as he did he was still uneasy. Something was going to happen...He could feel it. But he didn't know what...Or who.  
  
***************************************  
  
The next day bought a crisp morning with some lingering clouds from the storm on the previous night. As the sun began to shine at the home of the Brotherhood of Mutants, the inhabitance slowly awoke in wake of the new day. In the house Mystique ran the show with the five teenage students living there. Toad, Blob, Avalanche, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch were the students present and they had been promised a part in Magneto's next big plan. After some major bitterness after the whole military base and the sentinel fiasco, Mystique had agreed to join up with the master of magnetism again, for they had always fought for the same cause. The acolytes and the brotherhood were at a truce...For the moment.  
  
Not far from the house's boundaries, the mysterious man in the cloak approached with a sinister grin upon his face.  
  
"My first victims to my new army. I shall not keep them waiting..."  
  
As he approached a glowing color of dark purple light began to engulf the mysterious stranger and he was soon within only 20 feet of the main door.  
  
************************************  
  
AN: End of part 1! Well, what do ya think so far? Do ya want more? Well tell me what you think by posting reviews on fanfiction.net or send them to me directly at slickboy444@aol.com. I'll do my best to keep you all from waiting too long, but reviews do help. Thanks and best wishes! 


	2. New Minions

Destiny Of A Hero 2  
  
By: slickboy444  
  
AN: Hello! Part 2 his here! This is the sequel to "Worse Than Death" that I have been planning for a while. Some of the details in this story relate to my the last fic, so I suggest you all read that one before you start with this one. If you want to know the whole series to this point, the stories are "Xtra Member," "Matchmaker," and "Worse Than Death." Before I get started I wish to thank one of my reviewers, Krall, for helping me with this story. And don't for get to REVIEW! Please tell me what you all think by posting it on fanfiction.net or send it to me at slickboy444@aol.com. Remember, I don't own the X-men, Zelda, or any of the songs I may mention in this story so please don't sue. I have nothing. Thanks and I hope you enjoy this story.  
  
All my x-men evolution fics are dedicated to Jen (aka: littlesortaredheadedgirl) the author of the x-men evolution fic "Snow." I highly recommend you all read it.   
  
AN: 'These mean character thoughts.'  
  
***********************************  
  
As the mysterious stranger in the dark cloak stood before the house of the Brotherhood of Mutants, he began to chant mysterious words and soon became engulfed in a dark purple haze. Then, the ground suddenly began to shake violently.  
  
"Hey! Lance is that you?! Knock it off!" yelled Blob from the living room as he felt the shaking grow more intense.  
  
"Man, I'm not doing this! I don't know where it's coming from!" replied Lance as he stumbled in to the room.  
  
Soon the rest of the members came downstairs in wake of the commotion.  
  
"What's going on here!?" yelled Mystique as she stormed downstairs.  
  
"I don't know!" replied Lance. "I'm not doing it!"  
  
"Uh, guys," said Toad who was staring out the window with a nervous look on his face. "I think you should see...AHHHH!"  
  
Suddenly, the young mutant was grabbed by a black tentacle that had ripped through the walls and in to the room from the outside. Todd was immediately flung outside and slammed in to the ground, knocking him out cold. The rest of the brotherhood rushed to the window. They all saw something that looked like a man, but they couldn't get a good enough look. Then, they all went out the front door and confronted an unknown figure. They discovered the source of that black tentacle to be the hand of a mysterious cloaked man with an odd purple haze surrounding his body.  
  
"Who are you?" demanded an enraged Mystique.  
  
The man slowly looked up, revealing his old, sinister looking face. He shot them a deathly grin that made each one of the bewildered mutants' skin crawl.  
  
"Call me...The Shadowmaster!" said the man. "It is a name you will come to revere...For I shall be your new lord and master!"  
  
As the brotherhood regained some of their composure, they readied themselves for battle with the mysterious stranger.  
  
"In a pigs eye!" said Pietro.  
  
The grin from the Shadowmaster only grew wider.  
  
"You wish to challenge me? Well...Be my guest..."  
  
Wanda floated up while Pietro began to charge the man at extreme speeds. To their surprise, the Shadowmaster didn't move or seem too concerned by their actions. As Wanda was about to launch a hex bolt and Pietro was about to make contact...Poof. He vanished in to a cloud of smoke. Confused by this occurrence, the siblings were stopped cold in their tracks. The rest of the brotherhood stepped out in to the front yard in confusion, but this proved to be a mistake. Behind them, the smoke appeared behind them and the Shadowmaster had reformed.  
  
"Stupid kids..." chuckled the dark wizard as he blasted the unsuspecting teens from behind with a mysterious blast of dark energy, sending them flying across the yard.  
  
"Aw man, who is this guy?" said Blob rubbing his head.  
  
"He's a dead man!" yelled Pietro as he got up and ran back towards him in a fit of rage.  
  
"Other way around...Kid," said Shadowmaster with a grin.  
  
From his staff a mysterious beam shot out of the skull head on the top. The beam was a mix of blue and purple colors and it blinded the rest of the brotherhood as they watched in horror as Pietro was engulfed by the blast.  
  
"AHHHHHHHH!" yelled the speedster as he felt himself lifted off the ground.  
  
"Your fast Quicksilver...But too slow to beat me!" The dark wizard then focused more energy in to the ray, but suddenly, his staff was yanked from his hand by a mysterious force. Pietro then fell to the ground and lost consciousness instantly. Shadowmaster looked to his side to see Pietro's enraged sister, Wanda.  
  
"You think I need that staff to take you down? Think again!"  
  
From his fingertips, Shadowmaster let out mysterious mini-lightning bolts that were colored purple.  
  
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" yelled Wanda as the dark magic surged through her body. Shadowmaster was grinning like a madman as he made his blasts stronger. Wanda's screams grew louder; finally she fell to the ground in defeat.  
  
"Who's next?" said Shadowmaster at the three remaining opponents as his staff floated back to his hand.  
  
Lance and Blob just stood still, overcome with fear. This guy had just taken down half of the team with little effort. Now they were actually scared to face this guy.  
  
"What the hell are you waiting for you cowards! Get out there and double team him!" yelled Mystique at her bewildered students.  
  
"Uh...I don't think..." started Blob.  
  
"Don't think, JUST DO IT!"  
  
Slowly, Lance and Freddy stepped forward and stared down the mysterious man.  
  
"Come on...Hit me with your best shot you brainless punks!" taunted Shadowmaster.  
  
That got Blob mad, for he let nobody called him names.  
  
"ERRR! Nobody makes fun of the Blob!" bellowed Fred as he began to charge the old man.  
  
Avalanche also began to attack as his eyes rolled back in his head and he began to make the ground shake around them.  
  
"Are you sure that's a good idea rock-for-brains?" laughed Shadowmaster as he raised his staff. A strange glow then overtook the skull head on top. Suddenly, through the cracks caused by Lance, dozens of mysterious black tentacles shot up from the ground and wrapped themselves around Lance and Blob.  
  
"What the hell!" yelled blob as more and more began to wrap around his body. "What are these things?!"  
  
"I don't know!" yelled Lance as the sheer strength of the tentacles raised him off the ground. He tried to use his powers to shake himself free, but it only caused more of them to appear.  
  
Mystique also found herself under attack from the tentacles, but she was strong and nimble enough to dodge them. Her students were not so lucky as the tentacles tightened their grip. Finally, a surge of dark blasts from the tentacles around the bewildered boys knocked them out cold. And Mystique was the only one left.  
  
"And then there was one..." said Shadowmaster as the tentacles dissolved and Mystique stood only 20 feet away from her.  
  
"You beat my students...But I assure you I will not be so easy to take down," replied Mystique.  
  
"Only one way to find out."  
  
Quickly, Shadowmaster shot a beam of dark energy at the shape shifter. She was easily able to dodge them, but this amused the dark wizard instead of concerning him. Then, with his hands, he engulfed Mystique in a purple haze and levitated her in to the air.  
  
"You will submit!" taunted the wizard.  
  
"Never!" yelled Mystique as she shifted in to the shape of an elephant and fell to the ground under the weight. She then quickly charged the Shadowmaster in her enlarge form, but once again the wizard disappeared in a cloud of smoke only to reappear right behind her. She quickly turned around and charged him again, but with the same outcome.  
  
"I grow tired of this game..." said Shadowmaster as he raised his staff and blasted Mystique with a wave of dark energy. This changed her back to her normal form, but it didn't stop her.  
  
"ERRRRR! I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED!" she yelled as she ran back at him and leaped in to the air. She prepared to deliver a powerful flying kick, but as she was about to make contact, the dark wizard grabbed on to her leg. Immediately the blue shape shifter was overcome by a powerful blast of the wizard's dark energy. It felt like getting electrocuted, but far more painful.  
  
"NOOOOO! I...WON'T..."  
  
"Yes you will..." said the Shadowmaster as Mystique fell to the ground unconscious.  
  
Now, the entire brotherhood lay on the ground out cold. A slow smile spread across the face of the dark wizard. He raised his staff in to the air and began to chant.  
  
"Mon amshei mon ghan ran zu, Mon amshei mon ghan ran zu."  
  
A mysterious cloud appeared over the area as the bodies of the unconscious brotherhood were lifted off the ground. From the cloud, a dark mist engulfed each of them and mysterious lightning began to surge through their bodies. Each member of the brotherhood began to change in appearance. Their skin became covered in strange markings the flowed over their bodies like a snake. Their clothes were replaced with mysterious dark-red armor uniforms that were riddled with similar markings to those all over their skin. As this transformation neared completion, they all began to awaken from their unconscious state.  
  
"What the..." said a bewildered Toad as he looked at his new clothes.  
  
"What happened to us? What did you do?!" demanded Mystique.  
  
The Shadowmaster just grinned back at them. "I made you my minions, now you answer to me and me alone."  
  
Mystique stepped forward in defiance. "We will never...AHHHHH!"  
  
Shadowmaster didn't let her finish, she was immediately engulfed in a haze of purple energy. She wailed out in pain until she fell to the ground.  
  
"You don't have a choice! You will be my slaves for all eternity! I have given you the gifts of enhanced strength, speed, agility, weapons, and you are all now immortal. And I control you. If any of you all even think about defying me, you will be punished as our little shape shifter is finding out."  
  
The others watched as Mystique cowered before the wizard. She wouldn't stop wailing in pain. Finally, it stopped.  
  
"Are we going to have any more problems?" asked the Shadowmaster.  
  
"...No," said Mystique looking apologetic. "We won't."  
  
Nobody else dared to think any more thoughts of aggression towards their new master. They all just quietly stood there.  
  
"Welcome to my world Brotherhood," said Shadowmaster with a grin. "But fear not, you won't be alone for very long. You will all soon have company..."  
  
Then each member of the brotherhood disappeared in a puff of smoke and vanished in to a small imprisonment realm. The sky then cleared over the dark wizard as he savored his victory.  
  
"I now have a new army, yet it is still incomplete at the moment. I need more mutant minions...And I know just were to find them..."  
  
***********************************  
  
Jack once again was jolted from his sleep. It was doubtful that he had a decent night sleep in weeks. His head was plagued with nightmares every time he tried to rest. He didn't know what these dreams meant, but they always gave him a terrible feeling of foreshadowing. The feeling that he knew this...Thing or this...Entity was most disturbing. He slowly got up and tried to get his thoughts together, but this was by far easier said than done. Jack glanced at his alarm clock; it read 4:30 AM. He decided that going back to sleep was useless at this point, he didn't even feel tired. Sleep had become less of a necessity and more of a burden in the past few weeks. At least in the daytime, he could keep his nightmares at bay.   
  
As he wandered down the dark halls of the institute he finally felt his mind begin to calm down. Jack was intent on finding meaning in what was going on in his head, but other times he just wanted it to go away. He made his way to the kitchen for some early morning breakfast. As he got close he saw that the light was on and somebody was already there.  
  
"Hey Jack," said Logan as he walked in to the room.  
  
"Morning Logan," replied Jack dryly as he grabbed some fruit from the fridge.  
  
"You're up early kid. Wanna tell me why?" asked Logan who was sipping on some coffee.  
  
"You don't want to know," he replied.  
  
"Aw come on kid, try me."  
  
"It's just nightmares, that's all," said Jack.  
  
"What kind of nightmares?" asked Logan curiously.  
  
Jack didn't want to respond to that. He felt it again...That lingering feeling in the back of his mind that haunted him when he tried to open up. He didn't know if this was because of Morris or if it was because of his dreams. Either way it wouldn't stop festering like a splinter in his brain.  
  
"I didn't ask you why you were up early, please don't bother me with my reasons." Jack's tone was flat; it sounded like he just wanted to drop the conversation altogether.  
  
Logan just looked back at him for a brief moment with no real expression on his face. Jack just sighed and went back to eating. The two men stayed there in silence as the early morning hours ticked by. Finally, Logan got up to leave, but before he could Jack had one last thing on his mind.  
  
"Ironic isn't it?" Logan looked back. "You've spent years trying to remember and piece together your past, while I've spent years trying to forget mine."  
  
Logan didn't respond right away, but he still contemplated Jack's words. "Well, that's why we're at this institute kid."  
  
Logan then left for the danger room, leaving Jack behind in the kitchen. He sat in silence as looked out the window as the early signs of light were beginning to show in the morning sky. Soon, his attention turned to the glowing symbols on his right hand. They began to give of a slight glimmer of light as the looked at them. Slowly with the other hand, he felt the warmth coming from the sacred relic.   
  
'I have great power and great weakness. I know something is coming and I don't know what it is. If I'm not careful, my family could get hurt. My...Family.'  
  
***************************************  
  
Outside the main headquarters of the Acolytes, all seemed calm in the light of the rising sun. Inside, Magneto was hard at work crew planning his next big idea for mutant-kind. The four subordinates Sabertooth, Gambit, Colossus, and Pyro were lounging about, waiting for the word from their boss that could come at any one moment. Unknown to any of them, a dark cloud formed over their compound. It was the same kind of cloud that foreshadowed the Brotherhood's home the other day. Out of the cloud stepped the eager Shadowmaster, ready for his next victims to come to him.  
  
"My minion army will grow. With these lowly mortals in my arsenal I shall truly be unstoppable." Then, the dark wizard closed his eyes and began to cast his dark magic upon the unsuspecting Acolytes.  
  
*************************************  
  
AN: Well, that's it for part 2. Stay tuned for the next chapter if you want to see the Shadowmaster battle Magneto. I apologize for my slow updating, I've been busy with school lately, but rest assured, I will keep on writing. I have a ton of other ideas for X-men fics and so little time to write them all down. Don't worry, I won't stop as long as you all don't tell me to. Remember to REVIEW! Post them on fanfiction.net or send them to me at slickboy444@aol.com. Until next time, best wishes to you all. 


	3. Final Preparations

Destiny Of A Hero 3  
  
By: slickboy444  
  
AN: Hello! Part 3 his here of the sequel to "Worse Than Death." Some of the details in this story relate to my the last fic, so I suggest you all read that one before you start with this one. If you want to know the whole series to this point, the stories are "Xtra Member," "Matchmaker," and "Worse Than Death." Before I get started I wish to thank one of my reviewers, Krall, for helping me with this story. And don't forget to REVIEW! Please tell me what you all think by posting it on fanfiction.net or send it to me at slickboy444@aol.com. Remember, I don't own the X-men, Zelda, or any of the songs I may mention in this story so please don't sue. I have nothing. Thanks and I hope you enjoy this story.  
  
All my x-men evolution fics are dedicated to Jen (aka: littlesortaredheadedgirl) the author of the x-men evolution fic "Snow." I highly recommend you all read it.   
  
AN: 'These mean character thoughts.'  
  
***********************************  
  
The lights suddenly began to flicker about the base of Magneto's team known as the Acolytes and an ominous darkness began to overtake the area. The startled group of mutants got up and readied for battle as the whole building was consumed by a mysterious presence.  
  
"Who's there!" demanded Magneto over the growing commotion.  
  
Suddenly they could hear a dark, sinister laugh coming from all directions. It was a laugh that made even Magneto's skin crawl.  
  
"It's time to join the forces of darkness my minions. You WILL be my subjects."  
  
The bewildered Acolytes began to relentlessly scan the area, but they couldn't locate the source of the voice. It was as if it was coming from all directions. Suddenly, the lights all went out and the four mutants were consumed by complete darkness. Pyro immediately lit the place back up with flames.  
  
"You think we're scared of the dark mate? Think again!" taunted the young pyromaniac.  
  
Magneto then entered the room poised for combat. Suddenly, the lights returned and a dark cloud appeared in the center of the large room where a figure took shape.  
  
"Who are you?" demanded Magneto as he started to make everything metal in the room shake. However, the dark figure in a black cloak just smiled in an amused way.  
  
"Why...I am your new lord. They call me, the Shadowmaster!" The dark wizard then blasted them with a massive burst of dark energy, sending the stunned group flying.  
  
"We bow to nobody! You can't defeat us!" yelled the master of magnetism, never one to allow any presence more powerful then him.  
  
"Ah, but is not I who will defeat you...Gaun zei khan!"  
  
Upon saying those mysterious words six additional figures appeared before them. The Acolytes let out a faint gasp, for it appeared to be the Brotherhood. However, they had undergone a major change. Their bodies were littered with mysterious markings and they were all wearing similar red uniforms with dark symbols covering them. On top of that, each was carrying ominous looking weapons. Toad had two long swords the gave off a purple glow, Blob held a massive hammer, Pietro wore large gloves with spikes in the knuckles, Lance wielded a whip-like chain, Mystique had a long bow similar to Gambit's, and Wanda had a hand-held ax.  
  
"Attack them!" yelled the Shadowmaster.  
  
"With pleasure," said Mystique as she and the rest of the team lunged forth in to battle. Although she hated being a slave, the shape shifter had to obey like the rest of the crew.  
  
Magneto was shocked by the brotherhood's sudden change in allegiance. He watched as the brotherhood split up and began to attack his team. Wanda and Pietro worked to double team Collosus, who had taken on his metal form. The Russian mutant began to charge Pietro, but it didn't seem to worry him in the slightest.  
  
"Think you've got me?" said Quicksilver as Piotr got close. Then, the gloves he was wearing began to glow and in one swift punch, the speed demon sent Collosus flying back in to the metal wall. "Think again!"  
  
Before Collosus could pull himself together, he felt himself being pulled out of the wall by some mysterious force. He looked up to see that it was the Scarlet Witch. The mighty mutant tried to move, but something was paralyzing his every muscle.   
  
"The bigger they are, the harder they fall," taunted Wanda as she raised her ax, pointed it at the immobile Collosus, and let loose her powerful hex bolts. The Russian mutant let out a loud yell as he collapsed to the ground in defeat. Suddenly, a ball of flame zoomed past Wanda's head. She looked over to see that Pyro was the source.  
  
"Its time to heat things up!" yelled Pyro as he prepared another blast. Suddenly, Toad appeared out of nowhere and used his sword to blast his foe back.  
  
"Don't worry my crimson cutie, I've got your back!" said Toad as he jumped forth and quickly sliced the fuel lines to Pyro's fire starters. "Ain't so tough now are ya? Man I could get use to this yo!"  
  
Pyro got up to flee, but he was knocked out cold by a fist from a speedy Pietro.  
  
Meanwhile, Sabertooth growled as he stood before the immense Feddy Dukes, a.k.a. the Blob. Sabertooth seemed to negate the fact that Blob was carrying a massive hammer that was almost as big as he was, but it still didn't scare him.  
  
"Come on fur ball! I dare ya!" taunted Blob.  
  
With a roar, Sabertooth pounced on the oversized mutant with rage. However, Sabertooth didn't seem to realize that his slashes weren't affecting him in the slightest. With an annoyed sigh, Blob took his hammer and effortlessly swung at the renegade mutant, sending him flying. Then, the cat-like mutant was caught before he hit the ground by Lance.  
  
"Light as a feather," he commented with a grin. "Batter up Blob!"  
  
Lance then threw the dazed Sabertooth towards Blob where he laid out a heavy, forceful blow with his hammer. Sabertooth was knocked out cold after that as he groaned in defeat on the floor, unconscious.  
  
Gambit was now in the presence of an angry blue shape shifter. He saw in the back round how his teammates were taken down with minimal effort on the part of the brotherhood. Now he and Magneto were all that remained to fight this mysterious new intruder.   
  
"Seems you've got some new threads chere," said Gambit as he stared down his opponent.  
  
"That's not all I've got Cajun...Now you'll feel real power!" taunted Mystique.  
  
With speed and brute force, Mystique made the first lunge at the Cajun mutant. Quickly, Remy countered with everything he had. The fight erupted in a blur of slashes and swipes from each combatant. With each passing second, Mystique seemed to gain more of an advantage. She felt no fatigue or loss of strength as she fought. It was as if she had never had any to begin with. Remy, however, wasn't so lucky. After a good few minutes worth, Remy fell to the ground after suffering a major blow from Mystique's new weapon.  
  
"Time to play ma game!" said Gambit as he got out a handful of cards. The whole deck began to glow red as if they were on fire, signaling that Gambit was ready to launch his explosive attack. Then, a barrage of cards began to fly directly at Mystique. However, she didn't seem too afraid.  
  
Calmly, she began to use her weapon as a fan and began to deflect every incoming card with apparent ease. A wry smile grew upon her face, for she was enjoying her new power immensely. Some of the cards that were deflected found their way back to Gambit and he began to feel them explode around them. He tried to get away, but before he could react the nimble Toad jumped in front of him.  
  
"Lights out Gambit!" said Toad as he used his glowing swords to blast the Ragin' Cajun back against the wall, knocking him out completely.   
  
Magneto watched in shock as he watched the last of his associates fall. He never would have thought that the Brotherhood, who had always been more of a joke, could fight and defeat his best new recruits with so much ease. Now all five of the mutant soldiers encircled the master of magnetism and prepared to take him down.  
  
"You all will not defeat me so easily!" bellowed Magento.  
  
Then the Shadowmaster, who had mainly been a mere observer, stepped forth.  
  
"Stand down my minions, you have done your duties well. Let me handle this pathetic being."  
  
"Pathetic?! I'll show you pathetic!" yelled Magneto as the whole room began to shake.  
  
Suddenly, everything metal levitated in the thin air and began to whirl around the room in a cyclone like fashion. Soon, Magneto was surrounded in a cloud of metal as the room began to shake ever more violently. However, the Shadowmaster remained remarkable calm through this spectacle much to Magneto's disappointment. This enraged him further as he began to send every bit of metal he could at the dark wizard at blinding speeds. The Brotherhood watched in awe, unsure of whom to route for, but it seemed that the Shadowmaster had the upper hand, for the metal barrage just bounced away from him. A dark shield of energy surrounded and protected the wizard as he began to walk closer to the enraged mutant.   
  
"It's...Impossible!" exclaimed Magneto as he intensified the barrage, but to no avail.  
  
"Bow before your new master Magneto, for now you are my slave!"  
  
In one masterful stroke, the Shadowmaster let forth a concentrated blast of dark energy at the bewildered Magneto.  
  
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" yelled the hapless mutant as he collapsed to the floor.  
  
The Shadowmaster then raised his staff in to the air.  
  
"Time to put an end to this... Mon amshei mon ghan ran zu, Mon amshei mon ghan ran zu."  
  
A dark haze engulfed Magneto along with the rest of the Acolytes. Just like the Brotherhood, they rose off the ground and began to undergo a transformation. In a beam of dark blue light, mysterious symbols appeared on their skin and their clothing was replaced with new uniforms similar to those of the Brotherhood. When the light show stopped, the five new dark warriors stood before the victorious Shadowmaster.  
  
"Wha...What happened to us?" said Gambit, confused by his new appearance.  
  
"Did you not listen to anything I said?! You are all now my minions of darkness," said the victorious Shadowmaster with a grin.  
  
"NO!" said Magneto in a fit of rage. "I will not bow to the likes of..."  
  
But that was as far as the master of magnetism got. Suddenly, a purple light engulfed Magneto and he keeled over in agony. It was just like what happened to Mystique before. Wanda, Pietro, and the rest of the Brotherhood couldn't do anything, but watch. They knew that the slightest thought of disobedience would lead them to a similar fate. Magneto tried in vain to overcome the agony that was thrust upon him the second he thought about rebelling against the Shadowmaster. The more he tried the worse it got. Finally, it stopped. Magneto was still breathing hard as the Shadowmaster walked up to him.  
  
"Like the rest of my minions have learned...Any thoughts of disobeying me will be met with pain more intense than anything a mere speck like yourself could comprehend. You serve me and only me now. You should be grateful, for now you are all stronger, faster, better, and immortal. Your mutant powers have also been enhanced beyond anything you could do on your own. It is for these reasons, I made you my warriors of darkness. From now on you no longer function as the Acolytes or the Brotherhood. You now function as one."  
  
Magneto finally stood up, not daring to think any more thoughts that he would have under any other circumstances. Even with his mighty powers, the Shadowmaster had proved that he was stronger. Now, a man that once said he bowed to nobody, was a slave. Every one of the mutants in that dark room stood before their new master with mixed feelings. However, they knew that they had no choice but to serve this strange man. Now, even the slightest thought against the dark wizard was met with a painful shock that forced them obey like dogs.  
  
"So...What exactly are you gonna have us doing now Mr. Shadowmaster? Are we just gonna keep on recruiting more mutants?" asked Toad, breaking the silence between the group.  
  
The dark wizard just gave his new team another sinister smile.  
  
"No...For now you are all I need for my master plan."  
  
"Well...What kind of 'master plan' are we talking about here?" asked Lance as the rest of the team became eager to know.  
  
For a moment the Shadowmaster was silent. He appeared to be lost in thought as if he this were a moment he had prepared for. "For untold centuries I have been waiting...Planning...Hoping for this time to come. This time...When the forces of darkness regain control over the forces of light. And the world finally bows down to me! Mutants will be my soldiers, humans will be my subjects, and the world will be my kingdom."  
  
The Brotherhood and the Acolytes uneasily listened to what seemed like mad ambitions. Then again, this was a madman they were facing. But the Shadowmaster wasn't done yet.  
  
"There is, however, one force that can stop this from happening...And it is a force that you all are quite familiar with if I'm not mistaken."  
  
"The X-men," said Mystique.  
  
"Yes. These...Pests are the bugs in my plan. And you all are my exterminators!"  
  
"Cool, so we get to fight those X-geeks?" asked Pietro.  
  
"Better...You get to destroy them!"  
  
By destroy, the Shadowmaster meant kill. The rest of the team could tell by the tone of the wizard's voice that's what he meant.  
  
"However, you will encounter one being that you cannot, hence will not, fight. I know him as the hero of time, you know him as Link!"  
  
"Ah Link, we have encountered this being before," said Magneto upon hearing Link's name mentioned.  
  
"Indeed, he is very powerful and very strong. However, he does have a severe weakness...A weakness that will lead to his downfall! And I shall have my revenge..."  
  
"Revenge? Have you faced this man before?" asked Magneto.  
  
"In a manner of speaking...Yes, I have. But this time it is I who will triumph and it is darkness that shall rule!"  
  
************************************  
  
As the afternoon sun reached it's peak position in the sky, all seemed calm at the Xavier Institute. Most of the students were training in the Danger Room with Logan and Beast, others were outside, and the rest lofting about the many rooms that the mansion had to offer. Jack had chosen to pass the time lying on the roof of the mansion under the sun with his guitar to pass the time. The warmth of the sun beating down above and the soft sound of his guitar filled the air and helped relax a deeply troubled soul. Jack was lost in his own little world until he heard the door to the roof open. He looked over to see his friend, Scott Summers, approach him.  
  
"Hey Jack, what's up?" asked Scott as he sat down besides him.  
  
For a moment, that didn't seem to register in Jack's head.  
  
"I wish I knew..." responded Jack finally.  
  
Scott hadn't expected him to respond in riddles, but anything went with somebody as troubled as Jack Robinson.  
  
"Bad dreams again?" asked Scott.  
  
"Among other things, yeah. I haven't exactly been sleeping much lately," responded Jack. "But don't worry, I'm use to it."  
  
"Well I can relate," reassured Scott. "I can definitely relate."  
  
Jack knew what he was talking about. Scott had told Jack about the plight that killed his family. He had also told him how he was still plagued by nightmares about the whole thing to this day. In many ways, it was a situation very similar to Jack's.  
  
"How do you deal with it?" asked Jack.  
  
Scott sighed, "I have help. I have the professor, I have Jean, but I don't have to face some of the things that you did...So I don't know if you should be asking me."  
  
"Close enough," replied Jack. "But I never had people around me like you until now. And that's what makes us very much alike...In more ways then one," replied Jack.  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Scott.  
  
"...Nothing," said Jack as he went back to playing his guitar. He knew that Scott was confused on what he meant by that, but, truth be told, Jack himself didn't really know either. Once again Jack found himself back in his own world of music. However, Scott didn't leave, not just yet.  
  
"Hey Jack," said Scott after a few minutes of listening to Jack's guitar. Jack stopped and looked back at him. "Remember a few months ago...You know at that seven week anniversary that Jean and I had that night at the spring festival."  
  
"Yeah why?" asked Jack.  
  
"I don't think I ever thanked you for what you did back there."  
  
"Oh, well," said Jack humbly, "That was nothing."  
  
"No it was really something. I owe you big time for finally bringing me and Jean together, but there is one more thing I noticed that night."  
  
"What was that?" asked Jack, curious at what he might say next.  
  
"If I remember correctly, you were there with Rogue weren't you?" Scott now began to show a sly grin.  
  
"Well yeah but..." Jack began to stumble, knowing what Scott was probably referring to. "Hey, I didn't tease you about Jean so..."  
  
"Yes you did," said Scott abruptly. That stopped Jack cold in his tracks, for he could not deny that wholeheartedly.  
  
"Okay I did, I won't deny that. But it's kinda different between me and Rogue."  
  
"Well, I don't know about that," replied Scott. "You seem to confide in her more than anybody else at this place, and you seem to be more comfortable around her than anybody else. Now I may not see as clearly as most people, but that definitely doesn't seem all too different when I look at it."  
  
Jack didn't respond; he just sat there worried about the effects his next words would have. Scott just shook his head.  
  
'Man was I really that ignorant before?' thought Scott.  
  
Jack was about to respond, but Scott felt he had enough to deal with.  
  
"Look I'll stop right here Jack," said Scott much to Jack's relief, "I know you've got enough on your mind." Scott then got up and began to leave. "One more thing...And take it from somebody who's been there. Don't wait so long, it'll eat you alive and torture you to no end."  
  
And with that, Scott left Jack on the roof once again. Jack put his guitar down and began to think. As much as he denied it, Jack knew he was developing deep feelings for Rogue. They were very much alike in so many ways. They both were lost souls that struggled to make sense of where they came from. They both thought and felt alike and it was easy to confide in each other. However, love was something Jack was very uneasy with. In the time he had been with the X-men, he saw the deep love between Scott and Jean from day one. He saw how happy they made each other when he got them together. Many times, he would watch the couple show their affection for each other and he would have many mixed feelings. He would be happy for them, but sad for himself. For so long Jack was never able to love another. Every time he did, terrible things would happen, terrible things and events that etched themselves in his mind. He didn't want Rogue to go through the same thing. Jack couldn't even bear the thought of her suffering. It all became too much for his anxious mind to bear.  
  
"I need to get away...Gotta clear my head," said Jack to himself as he got up.  
  
After a while he sped out the front gate with nothing but his own legs powering him. As he left, Rogue watched from a window overlooking him. After starring blankly at the path Jack had just left by, she suddenly got up from the window and made her way down to the garage.  
  
"I hope Logan doesn't ground me for life for this," she said as she revved up his motorcycle and sped out the gates.  
  
**********************************************  
  
AN: Well, that's it for part 3. Stay tuned if you want to see the first encounter between the Shadowmaster and Link! Be prepared for big surprises as this series continues. I know this story has been more Jack/Rogue than Scott/Jean, but for now that's how the story has been fanning out. Please tell me what you think by sending me reviews at slickboy444@aol.com or by posting them on fanfiction.net. Thanks again and best wishes to you all! 


	4. Return of the Evil King

Destiny Of A Hero 4  
  
By: slickboy444  
  
AN: Hello! Here is part 4 for this story. I hope you all have enjoyed it thus far. Some of the details in this story relate to my the last fic, so I suggest you all read that one before you start with this one. If you want to know the whole series to this point, the stories are "Xtra Member," "Matchmaker," and "Worse Than Death." Before I get started I wish to thank one of my reviewers, Krall, for helping me with this story. And don't forget to REVIEW! Please tell me what you all think by posting it on fanfiction.net or send it to me at slickboy444@aol.com. Remember, I don't own the X-men, Zelda, or any of the songs I may mention in this story so please don't sue. I have nothing. Thanks and I hope you enjoy this story.  
  
All my x-men evolution fics are dedicated to Jen (aka: littlesortaredheadedgirl) the author of the x-men evolution fic "Snow." I highly recommend you all read it.   
  
AN: 'These mean character thoughts.'  
  
***********************************  
  
As Jack Robinson ran along the road at superhuman speeds, he continued to think and worry. So much had happened to him in the last six months, it was almost too hard for him to process. He was once a faceless, homeless, orphan from many broken homes. Now he was a part of a team, a team that fought for the same things he had been taught to fight for his whole life. The X-men were more then just a team, however. They were the family he had never had. The professor was like his father, Scott was like his brother, and Rogue was...  
  
Suddenly, Jack stopped cold in his tracks. He looked around the empty back-road. It was almost as if he sensed a presence, but couldn't put his finger on it. He looked down at the symbols of the triforce on the back of his hand and saw it glowing brightly.  
  
"Link..."  
  
Jack looked around and tried to find the source of that voice. He began to feel a nagging voice in the back of his head. It was as if he somehow knew that voice, but couldn't quite put his finger on it. Then suddenly, the ground began to shake violently. Feeling a new sense of danger near, Jack transformed in to Link and prepared himself for battle. Not long after the transformation completed, a familiar figure appeared before him. He appeared to be the one responsible for the sudden earthquake.  
  
"It's payback time LINK!" said an angry voice.  
  
Jack looked and recognized the figure before him. It was Lance Alvers from the Brotherhood, a.k.a. Avalanche. However, he looked different. It didn't take long before it dawned on Jack what this meant.  
  
"Oh no."  
  
"You got that right!" said Lance snidely as he unleashed two long whips.  
  
Like lightning Lance sent his whips flying at Jack. Although these weapons were new to him, Lance felt like he had known how to use them his whole life. Jack began to dodge and block the whips as best as he could, but that didn't stop Lance from getting a few hits on him. Despite the heavy blows from the weapons, Jack remained undaunted.  
  
"You're a dark warrior now. How?" said Jack through the fury of the fight.  
  
"I've got a new boss," replied Lance as he unleashed another powerful blow with his whips.   
  
However, Jack was ready for them this time. In a split second after dodging them, Jack used a powerful blast from his sword to send Lance flying back across the road. Before he could catch his breath, however, a mysterious force lifted him off the ground and flung him against a tree. He looked over to see a teenage girl appear to the side of him in a uniform similar to Lance's. No doubt that this was Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch. Jack was about to return fire, but then Pietro ran up to him at blinding speeds and slammed him back on to the road.  
  
"Not so strong now are ya?" taunted the speedster as Wanda moved closer.  
  
Jack got up a little slower after that last blow from Pietro. He didn't remember the Brotherhood being this strong, but somehow he knew there was more to it than that. Wanda attempted to blast him again as Pietro sped towards him for another shot, but this time Jack was ready. While dodging Wanda's hex beams he managed to see a window of opportunity. Just as Pietro was about to land another hit, Jack used the speedster's momentum to his advantage and tripped him with one leg. Pietro fell to the ground and was dragged by the force of his speed. Then, to take care of Wanda, Jack unleashed another triforce blast from his hands to knock the Scarlet Witch out.   
  
No sooner after Wanda fell, three more enemies appeared. They were the Blob, Sabertooth, and Collosus. Jack was beginning to feel the strain of being outnumbered, but he knew he wasn't outgunned.  
  
"CRUSH HIM!" yelled the Blob as he and the rest of his allies charged him from three directions. Just then Jack got an idea.  
  
"Can't crush what you can't see," said Jack as he used his powers to instantaneously make himself invisible.  
  
"What the?" said the bewildered Sabertooth as the three stopped cold in their tracks.  
  
Suddenly, Sabertooth felt an unseen force unleash a barrage of punches and kicks upon him and then the cat-like mutant was sent flying. Collosus and Blob tried to get a fix on the location of Jack, but they easily succumbed to Jacks fighting skills and were taken out when Jack lifted Collosus and flung him at Blob.  
  
Immediately after that, a mysterious firestorm erupted around him and Jack became engulfed in flames that seemed to have a mind of their own.  
  
"Let's heat things up!" yelled Pryo from a distance. The fire-crazy mutant laughed as he relentlessly tried to cook the area where Jack was standing. Now that Pyro was a dark warrior, he no longer needed a source to create flames to control. He could do both now. Pyro kept the fires burning bright, but suddenly a figure began to walk out of the flames undaunted.  
  
"What the hell?!" yelled Pyro as he tried to burn the figure to a crisp. However, it would not burn no matter how hot it got. Jack had reappeared, but this time he had a red tunic on and it seemed to be fire proof. As the Australian mutant began to panic, Jack ran up at superhuman speeds and delivered one forceful blow to take Pyro out.  
  
For the moment, it seemed like Jack was gaining the upper hand against the new Brotherhood, but it was not over yet. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Jack was hit by a flying kick.  
  
"That's for what happened last time!" yelled an angry Mystique upon sending Jack flying.  
  
Jack got up and was about to fight back, but then he was hit with another kick from behind him. This time it was from Remy Lebaeu, a.k.a. Gambit.  
  
"So you're the hero of time? I have to say I expected more," taunted Gambit.  
  
"I have not yet begun to fight..." said Jack as he got up and drew the master sword.  
  
"Then let's fight!" yelled Mystique as she and Gambit double-teamed Jack.  
  
An immediate melee insured with Gambit and Mystique having similar weapons. They fought with great ferocity as Jack struggled to avoid being hit. Jack's skill was greater, but the power of the dark warrior had overtaken the two mutants as they fought with a new sense of power. As the vicious battle raged on, Jack was knocked down by a few well-placed hits on the part of his enemies. Before he could get up, however, they pinned him down with the tips of their weapons.  
  
"You're good, but we're better," said Mystique.  
  
"Hold that thought," said Jack as an idea finally came to him.  
  
Like lightning, he kicked away Mystique's bow, dropkicked Gambit, and withdrew a different weapon from his arsenal. It was the magic bow that his master had used many years ago to slay evil and now it was Jack's turn. Drawing an arrow back, the tip began to glow in a bright, sparkling yellow color.  
  
"You think a puny little arrow will hurt us?" said Mystique not feeling real threatened by the new weapon.  
  
Jack then shot the arrow at the shape shifter, making her disappear in flash of light. Quickly he drew another arrow and did the same to a bewildered Gambit.  
  
As Jack caught his breath briefly, he suddenly felt a surge of new pain hit him from behind. Jack turned around to see that there were small, baseball sized orbs of metal slamming against him from all directions. He looked up to see the source.  
  
"I told you we'd meet again, Link," said Magneto as more metal orbs came down and began to assault the young hero. Jack tried to bat them away with his sword, but they were swarming everywhere around him.  
  
"Magneto!?" said a shocked Jack, "You were enslaved too!"  
  
"I'd like to think of it as recruited," said Magneto not wanting to upset the ill tempered Shadowmaster.   
  
Jack received more hits to his body as the barraged continued. Then he noticed the orbs began to harbor a painful electric shock along with their hits. Jack decided it was time for a new strategy. From his item bag, he pulled out a blue crystal and soon it began to glow a bright blue color. Magneto watched in shock as a mysterious blue crystal formed a shell over Jack's body. The shell repelled and shattered each orb that hit him. With a grunt the master of magnetism sent more his way, but to no avail. Jack then lifted his sword and pointed it in Magneto's direction.  
  
"This ends for now Magneto," said Jack.  
  
Then, Jack sent a bright blast of energy via the master sword directly at Magneto. Upon impact, Magneto's form vanished in a poof of smoke.  
  
"It ain't over yet yo!" said another voice appearing in front of him.   
  
Jack recognized the voice of none other than Todd "Toad" Tolensky. Only this time he was wielding two ominous looking swords. Jack fired a few light arrows at young mutant, but the quick and nimble mutant easily dodged them.  
  
"Is that the best you got?" yelled Toad as he leaped forth in to the air and began to fire some dark energy blasts at Jack.  
  
"You've learned some new tricks," said Jack as he dodged the lethal blasts with relative ease.  
  
"That's not all I've learned!" said Toad as he landed a few feet from Jack and began to unleash a barrage of sword slashes.  
  
Jack drew the master sword once again and fought back. However, Toad had two swords to work with and on top of that, he was wielding them with great skill. It was as if he had known how to fight with them his whole life.  
  
"Where...Did you learn...To sword fight?" asked Jack in between swipes.  
  
Toad then got one lucky slash in and gave Jack a big cut on his upper left shoulder.  
  
"In your nightmares, yo!" taunted Toad trying to instill fear in the young warrior. However, that didn't work. Jack lunged forth and began his assault with the legendary master sword. Toad countered like lighting, much to Jack's surprise. The nimble young mutant seemed to have gained great skill with a couple of swords overnight. Jack used his skill to try and bring the fight to a quick end, but Toad wasn't letting that happen. In conjunction with having an extra sword, Toad was putting up some fight. For a good 5 minutes, the two mutants fought it out.  
  
"Not even breaking a sweat!" taunted Toad as he got ready to charge Jack with everything he had.  
  
"Too much confidence and you shall fail," said Jack quoting his master in response.  
  
"Well see about that!" yelled Toad as he lunged forth.  
  
This proved to be a folly, however. With a calm, undaunted demeanor Jack did a quick spin move to dodged Toads lunge and before he could react, Jack had already slashed him with a death blow to the back, causing him to vanish in a poof of smoke. However, Jack knew that this act had not destroyed him or any of the warriors he had just faced. He had only stalled them. Jack took a deep breath, trying to get his head together after the fight he had just been in. He received numerous blows to his body and had numerous wounds, but he would heal. That didn't, however, decrease the pain. Suddenly, before he could even take another breath, he heard a sinister laugh from behind him.  
  
"Ha ha ha...It's good to see the hero of time in action again."  
  
Jack turned around to see the grinning Shadowmaster.  
  
"Who are you? Why did you enslave the Brotherhood and the Acolytes?" demanded Jack.  
  
The Shadowmaster just laughed in a sinister tone of amusement. "Guan zei khan!"  
  
Suddenly, the Brotherhood and the Acolytes stood behind the Shadowmaster.  
  
"As you can see, I have taken these mutant misfits and turned them in to quite a formidable force. Wouldn't you agree?" inquired the dark wizard.  
  
Jack didn't say anything for a brief moment. "But I beat them all!"  
  
"As I expected you to do," interrupted the Shadowmaster. "I never intended for them to actually destroy you. You're far to powerful, and they are far to weak."  
  
Jack approached the old man cautiously, for there was something very strange about him. What that was, Jack couldn't quite put his finger on. The Shadowmaster continued to grin with a sick sense of satisfaction for some reason, as if he knew the confusion Jack was struggling with.  
  
"Who are you?" stated Jack simply.  
  
"Why Link...I'm surprised at you. After all we've been through, you have the nerve to forget about me?"  
  
"What are you talking about?" said Jack.  
  
"Don't I look familiar...Link? Isn't there a nagging feeling...Crawling up and down the back of your spine?" The grin on the wizard grew wider as he spoke these words.  
  
Jack didn't respond, but there was something about this being that seemed familiar. He couldn't deny it.  
  
"Don't you remember what happened all those centuries ago?" Suddenly, Jack noticed a change of tone in the old man's voice. It changed from an old raspy one, to a deep ominous one. This new tone only made Jack's mind race faster as that tone once again sounded eerily familiar. "Can you feel it...Link? Well, maybe not looking like this..."  
  
Suddenly the old man's eyes began to glow an ominous red color. Jack took a step back as a dark purple haze engulfed the Shadowmaster and lifted him up off the ground. With a loud roar in to the air the shape of the old man began to change right before his eyes. The Brotherhood and the Acolytes watched with equal amazement as the figure began to grow in size. It grew until it was a tall, dark looking man with mysterious red hair and a deep skin tone. His robe was replaced with an array of black armor plating so as to look like a knight. As the new figure floated back down to the ground, the staff the Shadowmaster had been carrying transformed in to a big, powerful sword. Jack immediately realized who this was and felt shock surge through him as he looked at him in disbelief.  
  
"GANONDORF! BUT...HOW!?" yelled Jack.  
  
"Ah so you do remember!" said the dark warrior with a laugh.  
  
"It can't be! My master destroyed you eons ago!" yelled Jack.  
  
"Indeed he did...He sealed me away forever in an eternal void that I have spent countless eons in. That was until...I found a new power. A power so grand...Even the triforce can't deny it."  
  
Suddenly, new symbols appeared across Ganondorf's chest. They were an array of strange colors and on each side, two red eyes appeared. Jack recognized this instatnly.  
  
"Majora's Mask...You...Merged with it."  
  
"Indeed, and I have to say...We took quite a liking to each other. My magic was increased infinitely by the evil locked within. Now, I will finish what I started back in Hyrule ages ago!" shouted Ganondorf.  
  
"No way! Not if I can help it!" yelled Jack as he readied his sword for battle.  
  
"Have it your way..."  
  
Jack lunged forth with the master sword in hand and began to ferociously fight the dark king. Ganondorf easily fought back with his oversized sword. Jack used every bit of skill learned from his master to fight this monstrosity. Jack fought of feelings of intimidation that brewed within him as looked in to the dark, putrid eyes of the evil king of thieves. Ganondorf and Majora's Mask were bad enough alone, but together they were many times worse. Both were supposedly destroyed eons ago, but now they stood before him. The titanic sword fight grew in intensity as both warriors fought to overcome one another. While Jack was at a disadvantage because of his earlier injuries, he still fought hard to overcome the pain and take this evil down once and for all. Ganondorf on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying the fight. A dark grin of satisfaction never left the madman's face.  
  
"Ah you haven't lost your touch after all these years Link!" said Ganondorf as the two combatants knocked each other back.  
  
"Spare me your witty banter! I WILL finish what my master began!"  
  
"Well, I'm sorry to say I won't let that happen this time...Link," replied Ganondorf with a smirk.  
  
"You've lost to the hero of time on several occasions, what makes you think you can win this time?" taunted Jack getting ready for another round.  
  
Ganondorf began to show signs of annoyance as Jack spoke those words.  
  
"Then let's kick it up a notch!" yelled the dark king as a purple haze engulfed his body and he flew up in to the sky.  
  
Jack followed suite as a yellow glow engulfed him and he flew up after him. The Brotherhood and the Acolytes watched the spectacle in awe as they saw the two beings repeatedly slam in to each other in mid flight and blast each other with bright blasts of energy. Each passing moment bought repeated attacks that bellowed loud shock waves in to the distance. One blast after another, the two opposing forces kept fighting one another with growing fierceness. As the glow around them increased in size and brightness, Jack began to feel the sweat rolling down his face. Ganondorf was quick to pick up on that and launched another flying attack. Jack countered and the two seemed to become stuck and unable to push each other any farther.  
  
"You won't win Ganondorf! Evil never wins...Even you should have figured that out by now," said Jack as his determination grew.  
  
"As much as I hate to say it...Your right," said Ganondorf catching Jack off guard. "Evil never wins, but there's a good reason for that." Jack felt Ganondorf's power grow in intensity again and he struggled to match it. "You see, I tried for years to beat the hero of time. But I failed...And I know why now. I was fighting harder when I should have been fighting smarter." Jack continued to fight harder to overcome the evil king, but he continued to talk. "You see, this time I can't loose because I know exactly how to win this time. Link is nearly invincible...But Jack Robinson, well that's a different story."  
  
Jack's eyes grew wide with astonishment, for those were the same words Morris had said. He knew what the evil king was getting at, but he tried to block it out.  
  
"Feel the weakness within Jack...It's there, you know it. As powerful as you are you know it." Ganondorf's eyes began to glow a sickening red color.  
  
Jack tried not to look in to them, but he couldn't fight it. Something was taking control...Something deep within him.  
  
"NO!" yelled Jack as he struggled to resist a new power trying to overcome his mind.  
  
"Yes..." said Ganondorf with a grin.  
  
Suddenly, the golden aura around Jack shattered and was replaced with a dark red haze.  
  
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"  
  
Jack screamed out in pain as he felt like a bomb just went off in his head. Pictures, feelings, memories from his past bombarded his mind in an endless streak of torment. He couldn't fight it, he tried but it would not cease. Then, the hero of time fell towards the ground and slammed in to the pavement below.  
  
"Pathetic," said Ganondorf as he floated down towards Jack. "A simple spell like that brought down someone of virtually limitless power. I take back what I said earlier, you are no hero of time...Jack."  
  
Ganondorf stood before Jack in a state of triumph. He watched as the young warrior tried in vain to get up, but a quick burst of magic sent him back to the ground.  
  
"I'm not even using half strength...You really are a weak soul. You think that Morris had some lingering effects on you? Well I hate to break it to you Jack, but no such luck." Jack's looked back up at the dark king through the pain upon hearing those words.  
  
"What...Do...You...Mean?" said Jack slowly.  
  
Ganondorf just laughed with a sinister grin. "Stop lying to yourself JACK! Morris was nothing but a second rate amateur when it came to magic! That spell he cast...Disappeared the second his heart stopped beating. There is no after effect of the spell Jack...It's just you...You're doing this to yourself!"  
  
"NO!"  
  
"It's the truth...And you know it!" bellowed Ganondorf as he kicked Jack across the street. The hero of time tried to get up and fight back, but the dark king easily fought past him and continued to beat Jack in to a bloody pulp. All the speed, skill, and power he had before seemingly vanished upon the pain that surged through his mind incessantly. As Jack felt more blows upon his body, he bled more profusely. His tunic was now torn and stained from the Ganondorf's wrath. Finally, Jack collapsed on to the street and his cloths reverted back to the ones he had before.  
  
"I could kill you right now...Jack!" said Ganondorf pointing his sword at the barely conscious hero. "But I'm not gonna! And you know why? Because now...You're no longer a threat! My plans cannot be stopped this time. Even with your power...They cannot be stopped. To me...Letting you live is the worst punishment I can give you. Sorry...Hero. But this time...Darkness shall rule!"  
  
With one more sinister laugh, Ganondorf vanished in a puff of smoke along with the Brotherhood and the Acolytes. The lingering words of the dark king kept replaying in Jack Robinson's head as if they were on instant replay. He had failed his master, and he knew the madman spoke the truth about Morris and the so called 'spell' and it's non-existent after effects. Jack felt the world spinning around him and fading in to darkness...But suddenly he heard a buzzing sound in the distance. It sounded like a motorcycle, but he didn't care. To him all was lost.  
  
"Jack!" came a voice from afar.   
  
It was Rogue; she had followed him. She immediately gasped at the sight of Jack's mangled body and ran up to his side. As she lifted his head off the ground she could heard him say one last thing; "He's back...The evil king is back." Then, blackness...  
  
****************************************  
  
AN: Well, there's part 4! What do you all think so far? How's the action? Please tell me what you think by posting reviews on fanfiction.net or by sending them to me at slickboy444@aol.com. Stay tuned if you want to know what happens next with Gannondorf! Thanks again and best wishes to you all. 


	5. The End Grows Nearer

Destiny Of A Hero 5  
  
By: slickboy444  
  
AN: Hello! Part 5 has arrived! It's heating up and I hope you all have enjoyed it thus far. Some of the details in this story relate to my the last fic, so I suggest you all read that one before you start with this one. If you want to know the whole series to this point, the stories are "Xtra Member," "Matchmaker," and "Worse Than Death." Before I get started I wish to thank one of my reviewers, Krall, for helping me with this story. And don't forget to REVIEW! Please tell me what you all think by posting it on fanfiction.net or send it to me at slickboy444@aol.com. Remember, I don't own the X-men, Zelda, or any of the songs I may mention in this story so please don't sue. I have nothing. Thanks and I hope you enjoy this story.  
  
All my x-men evolution fics are dedicated to Jen (aka: littlesortaredheadedgirl) the author of the x-men evolution fic "Snow." I highly recommend you all read it.   
  
AN: 'These mean character thoughts.'  
  
*************************************************  
  
Darkness...Spinning...Defeat. The mind of Jack Robinson swirled in an uncontrollable cyclone of broken thoughts. He had failed...He had been defeated. Ganondorf was an ancient force of evil as old as the spirit that lay within his own body. The evil king's power was as strong as his own with the combination of Majora's Mask. However, that power didn't matter in the end. Instead, Jack defeated himself...With his own thoughts. As Jack's troubled mind continued to torment him, he could feel the pain of the memories and thoughts around him. His mind was creating his own torture. However, this wasn't because of any magic...It was because of himself.  
  
************************************************  
  
"How's he doing Chuck?" asked Logan as he glanced in to the infirmary.  
  
"Well...It's hard to tell," began the professor as he spoke with great uncertainty. "Physically, he'll be fine. But that isn't what's causing him so much distress. It's something more...Mental."  
  
"Have ya tried probing his head?" asked Logan.  
  
"No...His mind is a jumbled mess of pain and suffering. And his shields cannot be beaten. I don't know who did this to him...And I can't imagine how it's effected him."  
  
Logan and the Professor just stood there for another brief moment, looking at the young man in the bed in the other room. They knew he had some painful issues to deal with when it came to his past. Logan could relate, but unlike him Jack remembered every painful moment of the sad story that is his life. Jack appeared to have found peace at the Xavier institute, but he was still deeply haunted by his memories. Jack now lay still upon the hospital bed. They couldn't imagine the kind of pain going through his mind. By his bedside, sat Rogue, the one who Jack had opened up to more than anybody else.   
  
"How long has she been in there with him?" asked Logan as he watched Rogue, who was sleeping in a chair beside Jack's bed.  
  
"She hasn't left his side since she bought him here," answered the professor. "I think she needs to be there...More than anybody when he wakes up. I think Rogue may be the one person Jack needs to make himself whole again."  
  
It had been 4 hours since she bought him in. Since then the rest of the X-men swarmed to his aid, hoping he was okay. Many had waited outside the infirmary when he first came in, but it soon they were relieved to know that he was going to be okay. However, Scott, Jean, and Rogue were the only ones to know that Jack may have been physically fine, but mentally he must be in agony. Rogue looked over Jack's body with a tired, dazed look.  
  
"What happened to you Jack...Who could have done this to you?" she said as she looked at his still form. He almost looked peaceful...But she knew nothing could be further from the truth. Jack had fought someone, or something very dark. Rogue had been the only one to hear his last words before he past out. "What were you tryin' to tell me? What evil king are you talking about?"  
  
Questions, questions, and more questions; the answers seemed so elusive. Not just to her, but to everybody. Nothing made sense without Jack and his guidance. He always seemed like he knew the answer to everything, or at least he knew how to find it. Rogue felt like she needed answers...  
  
*******************************************  
  
Meanwhile, up in the library Jean Grey was trying to get her mind off of Jack by using books. Everybody may have been relieved when the Professor said Jack was going to be okay, but she couldn't help fighting this strange feeling that something very dark had manifested itself and it had been the reason for Jack's condition. Jack may have been by far the most powerful mutants on the X-men, or the world for that matter, and something was powerful enough to beat him.  
  
"Hey," came a voice, interrupting Jean's thought process.  
  
"Hey Scott," she said as he walked in and took a seat beside her. A brief silence soon followed.  
  
"The professor said Jack should wake up soon."  
  
"That's great," said Jean trying to sound cheerful from the news, but Scott wasn't finished.  
  
"I know...But I have a feeling it won't be over after that. The professor says there could be some major after effects," said Scott.  
  
"I don't doubt that," replied Jean referring to Jack's disposition before all this had happened.  
  
"Yeah...Doesn't take a psychic to figure that out," said Scott managing to get a half-smile out of it.  
  
Jean nodded knowing Scott probably sensed it too. "I can't imagine the kind of pain that his mind is going through. I mean...With all he's been through...I just can't imagine how he feels."  
  
Scott sighed, "Me neither, but I may have some idea."  
  
Jean looked at him quizzically.  
  
"I have some pretty painful memories too, and I know how badly it feels to be haunted by them," began Scott.  
  
"I know, I remember how I use to have your dreams before I could control my powers."  
  
"Then you know that they never go away...They can never be forgotten or resolved...They never stop hurting," said Scott slowly as he empathized with Jack's situation.  
  
Scott was silent after that; Jean knew how bad Scott feels when he dwelled on something like this. She had even felt it at times because of her powers.  
  
"How did you deal with it?" asked Jean.  
  
"Well...I think I was at an advantage compared to Jack. I mean...I never experienced anything near the amount of pain he has. And unlike me...He has never had anybody to be there for him. Me...I had the Professor, I had friends, and most of all...I had you," said Scott as he took his girlfriends hand and held it tight.  
  
"Maybe that's what Jack needs more than anything," said Jean as she held his hand. "He needs somebody beside him...Somebody more than just a friend."  
  
After that Jean rested her head on Scott's shoulder as he laid back and tried to cope with what's been happening. It had been an exhausting day for everybody and it still wasn't over. However, for now at least, they could share some peace.  
  
*************************************  
  
Another hour passed as Jack remained unconscious. Rogue continued to stay by his side, for she wanted to be there when he woke up. However, the ordeal had left her physically and emotionally drained, so she found herself asleep once again. Jack had been out for nearly six hours in all at this point. Occasionally, the Professor or Beast would come in and check on him, but they often left with more uncertainty than when they came.  
  
Inside Jack's head, it was like a constant nightmare. The fight, the memories, and everything else in between blared into his brain. Among the worst were repeated images of two, dark red eyes that kept appearing in the back ground of ever image he saw. They resembled the eyes of Majora's Mask and often were accompanied by a voice sounding like Ganondorf's. The fight played over in his mind once again, this time with the greatest imagery thus far. Every blow, every hit, every feeling he felt from it could be felt as if he was there again. The final image of Ganondorf standing over him...Taunting him just before the final blow appeared. This time he felt it in a way many times worse. The pain...The loss...The evil.  
  
"AHHHHHHHHHH!"  
  
Suddenly, Jack's eyes shot open and he sprang upright in a cold sweat. He looked at his surroundings and quickly recognized it as the infirmary. His breathing became hard and ragged. Soon, Rogue's eyes fluttered open and she saw Jack had woken up.  
  
"Jack? Jack, you're okay!" she exclaimed as she threw her arms around him.  
  
Jack, however, remained in an awkward state. He was still dazed and confused by the events that had just transpired. He tried to hug back, but his mind was still having troubles processing even the simplest of actions.  
  
"How...How did I get here?" asked Jack finally as he tried to regain his composure.  
  
"Well...I bought ya here. I found ya lyin' in the middle of the street. You were pretty banged up back there," responded Rogue.  
  
"You did? But...How'd you know I was in trouble?"  
  
"Well...I kinda followed ya. Don't ask me why...I just had this very bad feeling that if I didn't...Something terrible would happen to ya," replied Rogue sheepishly.  
  
"Well...Thanks," said Jack, but his expression didn't change. Rogue could tell there was something else bothering him. Then, she remembered the last thing he said before he passed out.  
  
"Jack...Before you passed out back there, you said something...Something about this...Evil king. Was he the one who did this to you?" she asked intently.  
  
Jack could only nod in reply. However, he was immediately overcome with anxiety upon remembering the incident. Then, he started to make his way off the bed.  
  
"Wait..." started Rogue, but Jack immediately cut her off.  
  
"I have to warn the others. I have to tell them."  
  
*****************************************  
  
The rest of the Xavier students gathered in the library upon hearing Jack had awakened finally. They all greeted him with exuberance and smiles, but Jack himself didn't seemed to happy about it. And they were about to find out why.  
  
"Jack, it's good to see that you're up and about once more. But who did this to you?" asked the Professor finally.  
  
Silence soon came over the room as Jack readied himself to tell them a story that was supposed to be over.  
  
"It was...Him. The evil king," said Jack in an ominous tone.  
  
The rest of the room looked at him quizzically.  
  
"King? What evil king?" asked Logan.  
  
Jack took a deep breath. "It's a long story...But I'll try and give you the short version. Long ago in an ancient land known as Hyrule, there was an evil dark king that used the power of darkness to rule over all of the worlds' inhabitance. He had overthrown the royal family, enslaved millions, and amassed enormous powers of dark magic to solidify his reign through the use of a sacred relic known as the triforce. However, my master and incarnation, Link, put a stop to that. Using weapons forged in purity and light, he destroyed the evil king and reclaimed the sacred triforce for the forces of good. It was a long and bloody fight that transcended the boundaries of space and time and for his courage, power, and wisdom, the three goddesses of his land granted him the power to wield the triforce and maintain peace throughout his world for many centuries to come. My master fought off evil time and time again, and when he died, his spirit passes along this power to countless other beings throughout the cosmos to guard their world from destruction. And it has remained like that for years...Until now. The evil king, known as Ganondorf, has returned from the dead and now he seeks to finish what he started in Hyrule so long ago."  
  
The rest of the X-men stood amazed at this story, but there were still questions to be answered.  
  
"But...How did he come back? Didn't you say your master destroyed him?" asked Kurt.  
  
"He did...But something happened. In the empty realm that the essence of the dark king was banished to, he came across a way to return to the world of the living and exact his revenge. It came in the form of a relic known as Majora's Mask. It is an object so evil...It killed even the satanic tribe that created it. From this power Ganondorf merged with it and it augmented his powers beyond anything they had been before."  
  
"Just how powerful is this king Ganondorf?" asked the Professor growing increasingly concerned upon listening to Jack's story.  
  
"Very powerful...He's like Apocalypse on steroids," replied Jack causing everybody to shift uncomfortable in their seats.  
  
"But you can beat him can't you...I mean you still have all the power from your master...Right?" said Kitty.  
  
Jack didn't respond. He just sort of lowered his head in sorrow. "He already beat me in battle earlier and he made it look easy. Even with all my power, he beat me..."  
  
An awkward silence overcame the team as Jack spoke those final words. If this guy could beat Jack, there was no force he couldn't beat. Suddenly, the voice of young Jamie Madox yelled out from the halls outside of the library.  
  
"Uh guys...You had better come take a look at this."  
  
Quickly, the X-men gathered around the window and were immediately taken aback by what they saw. In the sky above them a yellow haze engulfed the sky and began to swirl in a cyclone that nearly blotted out the sun. The colors began to change form yellow, to red, then to gray. Finally, a spherical shape emerged from the light and everybody in the team except Jack gasped as they saw what formed. It was huge, taking up half of the sky and very slowly taking up more. The object looked like a dark moon, but it had a very ominous feature. There was a face along the vast surface that had dark eyes with red pupils and a sinister looking face.  
  
"Oh man...What the hell is that?" said Evan as the rest of the team remained in a state of shock.  
  
Jack just shook his head. "It's the beginning of the end."  
  
****************************************  
  
Meanwhile, in the center of downtown Bayville, a jubilant Ganondorf rejoiced upon the creation of the dark moon. From this power he would wipe out the world as it was now, and mold it however he saw fit. He felt his power grow as fear, panic, and anxiety gripped the people of the world. It fed his dark magic and his will.  
  
"Soon this pitiful world will be cleansed of this mess of stone and steel. In it's wake, I will make a kingdom even grander then the one I made Hyrule. But this time...Nothing can stop me...NOTHING!"  
  
***************************************  
  
Well, that's it for part 5! Stay tuned for part six as the mother of all battles erupts. See the X-men face off against Ganondorf in the fight for survival! Please don't forget to review. Post them on fanfiction.net or send them to me at slickboy444@aol.com. Thanks and best wishes. 


	6. Countdown

Destiny Of A Hero 6  
  
By: slickboy444  
  
AN: Hello! And here is part 6! Let the games begin! Some of the details in this story relate to my the last fic, so I suggest you all read that one before you start with this one. If you want to know the whole series to this point, the stories are "Xtra Member," "Matchmaker," and "Worse Than Death." Before I get started I wish to thank one of my reviewers, Krall, for helping me with this story. And don't forget to REVIEW! Please tell me what you all think by posting it on fanfiction.net or send it to me at slickboy444@aol.com. Remember, I don't own the X-men, Zelda, or any of the songs I may mention in this story so please don't sue. I have nothing. Thanks and I hope you enjoy this story.  
  
All my x-men evolution fics are dedicated to Jen (aka: littlesortaredheadedgirl) the author of the x-men evolution fic "Snow." I highly recommend you all read it.   
  
AN: 'These mean character thoughts.'  
  
***********************************  
  
Jack's words stung through the group as they struggled to comprehend this new crisis. Out of nowhere, a giant moon appeared in the sky and it was speeding towards the surface at an alarming rate. It was a site that seemed almost beyond belief to all of them. All, that is, except Jack.  
  
"We've got to stop this guy!" barked Logan as he regained his composure.  
  
"How?!" exclaimed Kurt, "Look at vhat he just did!"  
  
"Well...We have to try. We can't just sit here," said Scott.  
  
Jack stepped in. "You may not have a choice. Gannondorf has an army of dark minions to aid him as well as the Brotherhood and Acolytes as well."  
  
"Wait...You mean their working for that jerk now!? Even Magneto!" said Logan.  
  
"It wasn't their choice...Gannondorf wanted to use them because of their powers. He forced them to join him and now they are all warriors of darkness. Because of their dark nature they have been enslaved instead of destroyed. Now, their powers have been greatly enhanced, their bodies made immortal, and their wills now belong to the dark king." A brief pause overtook the team as they let this information sink in. "Now they cannot be stopped and Gannondorf knows it."  
  
"We still have to try...We can't let this heinous man do to our world what he did to your masters' world," said Storm.  
  
Jack knew they all spoke the truth, but he didn't want them to go in to a battle they can't win. This was in the realm of magic, not logic. And magic must defeat magic.  
  
"I know that Storm..." said Jack. Suddenly, Jack once again transformed in to his Link form. "That's why I must face this madman alone."  
  
"No way Jack!" said Rogue. "Yer not goin' to face this guy all by yerself! I mean...Just look what he did to ya last time."  
  
Jack cringed at the thought.  
  
"I know...That's why I can't have you all risking your lives. Only I can destroy this monstrosity," replied Jack. However, the rest of the team could sense the doubt in his tone.  
  
"And that's why you'll need help, you can't deny that," said Jean.  
  
This time Jack didn't respond. He began to get the feeling that they weren't going to take no for an answer.  
  
"You're a part of a team," said Scott with a reassuring smile, "Whether you like it or not, we're going to fight by your side. We don't have a choice...And from what you've told us...Neither do you."  
  
Jack let out a sigh, for he knew this was a matter beyond his control.  
  
"Then prepare yourselves," he said, "This is going to be the fight of your lives."  
  
**************************************  
  
The whole team readied themselves for the ultimate battle. They had no idea what they were up against, but they willingly prepared to fight. As Jack watched this unfold he couldn't help but admire these young men and women. They didn't have the tools or the knowledge to defeat this guy. He had told them that it was hopeless to fight him, but they were still going to do it. At this point, Jack realized he did need them. He had lost earlier...To go back without his friends, was just insane. He needed them, more than they needed him. However the thought of loosing any of them was a something to difficult for Jack's fragile mind to bear. As he made his way down towards the hanger where the Blackbird awaited him, this thought persisted.  
  
"Jack..." came a voice from behind him.  
  
He turned to see Rogue coming up behind him.  
  
"Rogue listen...If something happens to me out there I..."  
  
Rogue cut him off immediately. "That won't happen Jack...Because you're strong enough to beat this guy. I believe it...The team believes it...Even if you don't."  
  
Those last few words silenced the hero of time. And as the two boarded the plane, Jack managed a small smile.  
  
Scott and Jean bought up the rear as the team prepared to speed off in to battle. However, before they boarded they stopped and shared a deep kiss.  
  
"Just in case," said Scott as their lips separated.  
  
"Yeah...Just in case," replied Jean with a half-smile.  
  
*****************************************  
  
As the XR-77 Blackbird sped towards downtown Bayville, the team watched the chaos below as people ran for their lives. The sudden appearance of the dark moon above had caused mass panic not just in Bayville, but throughout the world. The screams of fear and dread filled the air as they flew further.  
  
"They're feeding his power," said Jack.  
  
"What do ya mean?" asked Rogue who was sitting right next to him.  
  
"Their fear...It's making Ganondorf stronger."  
  
"Well can ya blame them?" retorted Logan.  
  
"It's just going to make this even harder."  
  
As they got near the center of the city, a ghastly sight awaited them.  
  
"Holy God," said Beast as the rest of the team looked in awe at what appeared before them.  
  
They were directly under the point where the face on the moon was heading. In this area the central park, which took up 5 city blocks, was replaced with a sickening field of desolate rocks with a bright ring of fire circling above it. In the center, a large rock tower in the shape of a massive skull hung over the dark landscape. In all, it looked like a scene taken straight out of hell.   
  
The jet landed a short distance away from the perimeter of the newly formed area and the team slowly got out and followed Jack to it's boundaries. An eerie calm had come over the surrounding land. The people from this area had long since fled in terror and a deathly silence remained in its wake. Suddenly, from an unknown source, came a sinister laugh that could be heard from all directions. The team frantically looked around but couldn't find the source. All they could hear was the growing volume of the sinister laugh. Then, from the mouth of the moon directly over head, a figure floated down.  
  
"You're so predictable Jack...You really are Link's reincarnation to some degree," snorted the evil king as he reached the ground.  
  
The rest of the X-men took in the sight of the dark figure before them and watched with great concern as he walked towards them. He was tall, dark, and had a strange picture scattered across his chest with two dark-orange eyes on each side. His ominous appearance hinted his dark intentions.  
  
"Ganondorf I presume," said Logan as he drew his claws.  
  
"And you must be Jack's back up...A bunch of rag tag hero wannabes who think they can defeat the likes of me!" taunted the evil king.  
  
"We've face jerks like you before! You ain't gonna win against us!" replied Rogue.  
  
Gannondorf, however, just snickered as he took a few steps closer to the group. Jack drew the master sword in preparation.  
  
"You think Apocalypse was bad? Well...I can assure you, I am MUCH worse!" Then a dark has appeared around Ganondorf's hand and in a flash it formed a huge dark sword. "And unlike that pathetic freak show...I bought a little backup! Guan zei khan!"  
  
Suddenly, the Brotherhood and the Acolytes appeared in a flash of light. The X-men gasped as they looked at the new appearance they had taken. Now they were all wearing similar uniforms littered with dark symbolism and they were wielding new, dangerous weapons.  
  
"Now my warriors...DESTROY THEM!" commanded Gannondorf.  
  
Upon saying those words, Ganondorf's enslaved warriors began to charge the team. Sabertooth immediately went for Wolverine, Lance went for Kitty, Pietro went to Evan, Wanda took on Kurt, Freddy charged Scott, Toad rushed Bobby, Magneto faced Jean, Pyro took on Storm, Collosus handled the rest of the younger X-men, and Remy and Mystique took on Jack.  
  
"Now let's see how you handle being double teamed 'hero'" taunted Mystique as she approached Jack. He could tell she was a little irked about their last fight. But unknown to them, Jack was also bitter about last time. He knew how weak he was before, now he was determined to regain his honor. But Mystique and Gambit had no intentions of letting that be too easy.  
  
'Link...Master,' thought Jack to himself, 'It's time to show you what I've learned. Somehow I know you're watching this.' Jack then took his battle stance. "Bring it on..."  
  
With a grunt both dark warriors lunged forth and began to use their weapons to attack, but Jack fought back with tremendous ferocity. Even with his enemies enhanced strength and skill Jack fought to gain the upper hand. This was a great surprise to both combatants as they fought to a stand still.  
  
"Your not the only one angry about that last fight..." said Jack as he began another attack.  
  
With speeds unsurpassed Jack began to fight them both back as he forced his two opponents to go on the defensive. He was so fast it was as if they were fighting two people instead of one. Finally, the two dark minions found themselves backed up against a corner. Then, a fire engulfed the master sword as Jack performed one last powerful spin attack, causing them both to vanish in a puff of smoke.  
  
"Bravo...You never cease to surprise me kid," taunted Ganondorf as he watched his minions loose. "But I don't think your friends are doing nearly as well."  
  
Jack turned to see the X-men struggling against their enhanced adviseries. Toad was making quick work of young Bobby, Magneto was overpowering Jean, and Collosus was like an unstoppable juggernaut in facing the younger, more inexperienced recruits. Jack began to grow nervous, but he continued to watch. He drew his attention to the battle between Blob and Cyclops where it seems Blob definitely had the upper hand.  
  
"Is that all you got!" taunted the immense Freddy Dukes as he easily took Scott's optic blasts. "I'm unstoppable now!"  
  
"I'm just getting warmed up!" reassured Scott as he avoided another blast from Blob's hammer.  
  
Scott then adjusted his visor to max power as he let forth another massive surge of red blast. This time it was enough to send Freddy back against an abandon building, but he was still fighting on his feet.  
  
"YOU CAN'T STOP ME!" yelled Fred as he tried to move against the force of the blast.  
  
Scott remained undaunted as he took a deep breath, focused his energy, and let forth one last pulse that was stronger than anything he had ever unleashed before. This time the Blob couldn't take it, and he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Now free from fighting off the Blob, Scott went on to break the stalemate between Magneto and Jean. And with their combined power, they sent Magneto away too. Also, Collosus began to struggle as the younger X-men recruits like Roberto, Tabitha, Jubillie, Ray, Sam, and Jamie finally began to push their powers beyond their normal limits and topple the Collosus. This sudden change was due in no small part to the time they has spent training with Jack.  
  
Jack smiled as he watched this sudden turn of events. He also saw Ganondorf let out and angry grunt.  
  
"Like you have done many times in the past Ganondorf, you have underestimated your enemies. I have been teaching them the ways of the mystic arts and as you can see...They have learned very well," taunted Jack.  
  
Ganondorf's rage began to build.  
  
"ENOUGH GAMES! Guan zei khan!" The five warriors who had been thwarted earlier appeared once again before him.  
  
"Impossible! We just destroyed them!" said Jean as she saw this.  
  
"They immortal! They can't be killed! Now my minions, don't hold back! Kill them all!" bellowed the evil king as his minions rushed back in to battle.  
  
"Bring it on!" yelled Scott.  
  
That left only Jack and Ganondorf.  
  
"Playtime is over Jack!" said Ganondorf as he readied himself for battle, "I'm going to end this the way I should have centuries ago!"  
  
The two warriors stood before one another with their weapons drawn. The eyes of each fighter were focused with determination. Now, the battle between good and evil was about to come to ahead. As they stared each other down, Ganondorf raised his hand in to the air and a powerful beam of dark energy shot towards the moon above them. Jack looked up to see the size of the moon getting bigger as it sped up towards the surface of the Earth.  
  
"The clock is ticking Jack...It's truly do or die," taunted Ganondorf.  
  
With a stern expression on his face Jack then yelled, "EN GUARD!"  
  
The two warriors lunged at each other and as their swords connected for the first time, a shock wave ran out. In speeds unheard of before or ever since, they unleashed a fury of combat upon the tainted land. Jack was determined not to let the same thing happened twice. The memory of the last battle stung in his mind and it was making him fight much harder than before. Ganondorf noticed this immediately as he attempted another unsuccessful offensive. The battle raged on as the dark moon above them increasingly consumed the sky.   
  
"Time is running out Jack! It's inevitable now! Nothing can stop that moon! NOTHING!" yelled Ganondorf as he blocked on of Jack's swipes.  
  
With a grunt, Jack became engulfed in a golden light and was raised off of the ground. Ganondorf followed suit as a darker light consumed him as well. The two combatants then began to blast each other with powerful bursts of magic. However, they were easily dodged or repelled by the opposing force. The determination on each side grew as a bitter stalemate ensued. The glow around them was getting stronger and more intense as each combatant unleashed more and more of their power.  
  
"I grow tired of this game...Its time to end this 'HERO!'" bellowed Ganondorf.  
  
Jack knew what he was about to do.  
  
"NO! I won't..." But it was already too late.  
  
Ganondorf began to chant mysterious words and his hands began to glow a dark purple color. Suddenly, Jack felt an intense pain erupt within his head that was far worse than last time.  
  
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" yelled the hapless young man as he plummeted to the ground.  
  
"JACK!" yelled Rogue as she saw him fall. She tried to run to his aid, but was forced back by a menacing Mystique.  
  
Ganondorf floated down towards Jack as the dark light around him continued to grow.  
  
"Ironic isn't it?" grinned the evil king, "A spell so weak can bring down something so strong. There will be no mercy this time Jack...This time, YOU DIE!"  
  
Jack tried to fight it. His past...His memories...His life was tormenting him. It was as if he had lost control over his mind. He squeezed his eyes shut as he struggled to make it all stop, but to no avail. He could only wait...As Ganondorf drew his sword to deal the final blow.  
  
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AN: Well, there's chapter 6! What's gonna happen now? How are the X-men going to win without Jack? Stay tuned if you wanna know. Review if you wanna know sooner! Post them on fanfiction.net or send them to me at slickboy444@aol.com. Thanks for the reviews thus far and until next time, best wishes. 


	7. Endgame

Destiny Of A Hero 7  
  
By: slickboy444  
  
AN: Hey all you fanfiction fans! Here is part 7, just like I hope you all wanted! Some of the details in this story relate to my the last fic, so I suggest you all read that one before you start with this one. If you want to know the whole series to this point, the stories are "Xtra Member," "Matchmaker," and "Worse Than Death." Before I get started I wish to thank one of my reviewers, Krall, for helping me with this story. And don't forget to REVIEW! Please tell me what you all think by posting it on fanfiction.net or send it to me at slickboy444@aol.com. Remember, I don't own the X-men, Zelda, or any of the songs I may mention in this story so please don't sue. I have nothing. Thanks and I hope you enjoy this story.  
  
All my x-men evolution fics are dedicated to Jen (aka: littlesortaredheadedgirl) the author of the x-men evolution fic "Snow." I highly recommend you all read it.   
  
AN: 'These mean character thoughts.'  
  
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As the evil king Ganondorf readied to deliver the deathblow to the hero of time, a huge grin spread across his face.  
  
"At last...I win," said the king.  
  
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" came a voice in the distance belonging to Scott.  
  
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" came another from Jean's direction.  
  
"JACK! FIGHT IT! I KNOW YOU CAN!" said the final voice. It was Rogue, she was trying to come to his aid, but Mystique made that impossible.  
  
For the briefest instant, Jack saw the looks on the faces on his fellow X-men. They were full of concern, worry, and compassion. He then saw the tears streaming down Rogue's face as she screamed in desperation for Jack.  
  
Ganondorf then drew his sword high over his head and began the final motion to take down Jack once and for all. The world seemed to slow down as Jack saw the sword coming straight at his head. His mind was still paralyzed from the images and thoughts zooming through his mind. It was himself that was his weakness and it now looked to do him in once and for all. But through all this inner commotion, the sounds of his friends kept fighting the turmoil. Jack squeezed his eyes tighter as he actually felt the terrible images begin to fade. He felt the cries of his friends...His family. An expression of great determination replaced the pained one. The sword was almost at its mark; the grin on Ganondorf's face grew even larger. Then...A mere inches from impact...Jack Robinson, through untold amounts of inner pain, slammed his hands together and caught the sword.  
  
"No..." said Ganondorf as his expression immediately changed to one of great frustration.  
  
"YES!" said Rogue as she saw Jack overcome the odds.  
  
Ganondorf's frustration grew to a boiling point as he summoned all of his strength to try and fulfil what he had dreamt of for so long.  
  
"WHY...WON'T...YOU...DIE!" yelled the evil king as his eyes burned in a fiery fit of rage.  
  
Jack held back the dark sword with all his strength. The spell in his head was still there, but he felt himself overcome it by sheer force of will. He watched as Ganondorf kept trying, but was not succeeding. Then, with a burst of energy, Jack did a sweep kick underneath the dark king and for the brief instant he was in the air, Jack delivered a strong punch to the chest knocking him back. Then, Jack rose to his feet as he felt the pain in his head fade ever so briefly.  
  
"You surprise me yet again Jack," said Ganondorf as he got up, "But you know you can't win this time. That moon will be here soon and then it will all be over. Your friends...Your world as you know it will be destroyed."  
  
"I don't think so Ganondorf! As long as there is a breath in my body...I will not let you win!" yelled Jack.  
  
"Then we'll just have to change that!" bellowed Ganodorf as his eyes glowed blood red. "I was using only half strength before...NOW FEEL FULL POWER!"  
  
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"  
  
Suddenly, a pain in Jack's head erupted that was many times worse as before. Once again he found himself at his knees, unable fight his way through the pain that was his mind.  
  
"Do you think I forgot all the humiliation you caused me!? Do you think I forgot what Link did to me!? Revenge will be MINE!" yelled Ganondorf as he prepared another charge.  
  
Jack was now immobile from the spell, he kept trying to fight it, but it was to no avail. Just then he heard Rogue's voice once again.  
  
"Don't listen to him Jack! Don't let him use you ANYMORE! Your stronger...I know it! You may not know it...But we all do!"  
  
"Fight it kid! You did it before, you can do it again!" said Logan as he knocked away Sabertooth.  
  
"We believe in you! You ARE the hero of time!" yelled Scott as he blasted Magneto back.  
  
Jack heard every word they said and felt himself fighting harder. Ganondorf could see this new look on his face.  
  
"NO! NOT THIS TIME JACK!" yelled the evil king as he ran forth towards Jack with all his might.  
  
Jack clenched his fists in determination as he struggled to fight off Ganondorf's spell. However, this time it wouldn't be so easy. It seemed like his will alone wasn't strong enough after all. He couldn't fight the spinning images in his head for much longer, but he knew if he gave in to them he, and his family would be finished. He gritted his teeth as he tried to ward them off...But then something happened.  
  
For a brief instant, he wasn't in Ganondorf's arena, he wasn't in Bayville, he wasn't even on Earth. He knew where he was...It was the sacred realm. He had been told about it many times before, but he had never seen it. He looked around the immediate area and spotted a familiar figure...It was Link.  
  
"It's not over yet my young protégé...You alone are the one who determines the outcome of this epic battle," said Link.  
  
Jack didn't say anything, he wanted to but something was stopping him. Link seemed to notice this. The true hero of time just shook his head and grinned.  
  
"You have the power Jack...It's just a matter of how you use it. Now come on and send that evil incarnation back to where he belongs...And end this once and for all..."  
  
Suddenly, Jack found himself back in the arena, with Ganondorf about to make a final swing. However, like lightning Jack rolled to the side, dodging the attack. In the process, he drew his magic bow and arrows.  
  
"Hey Ganondorf! Remember THIS!" yelled the young warrior as he fired a single light arrow at the evil king.  
  
Before Ganondorf could react, the arrow hit him head on. A bright light erupted from the impact and consumed him. Then the evil king lashed out in pain. It was as if a golden fire was burning him. Jack then grabbed the master sword and rose to his feet with newfound determination.  
  
"NOW IT'S MY TURN!" yelled Jack as he charged the down king with a new burst of energy.  
  
The young hero began to relentlessly slash the evil incarnation with the sacred blade. The dazed Ganondorf tried to ward the attack off, but his efforts were in vain. The effect of the arrows had not changed since the last time Ganondorf faced the hero of time. He was still hurt by weapons of such a pure nature. Slash after slash followed as the evil king fell back further and became increasingly bloodied. As he weakened, the rest of the X-men noticed that the rest of his enslaved minions weakened as well. Jack kept on delivering heavy blows with his sword and wouldn't allow the evil king a chance to regain any composure. Even after the effects of the light arrows wore off Jack still was able to knock him back. Ganondorf tried to strengthen the spell, but he was unable to concentrate long enough to do so. His actions had awakened the raging warrior from within that he remembered so vividly. Finally, Jack channeled the rest of his strength and sent Ganondorf flying with a mighty punch to the chest against the stone wall. Then, the evil king fell to his knees and began to gasp for breath.  
  
"It's...Impossible...You're...Nothing!" said Ganondorf.  
  
"I once believed that too Ganondorf...But now I know...I AM the hero of time," replied Jack as he readied himself for his final attack.  
  
The rest of the X-men all began to overcome the Brotherhood and the Acolytes as it seemed that Jack would overcome Ganondorf. Their enhanced powers and agility seemed to nearly vanish at the weakening of their overlord.  
  
"It's...Not...Over...Yet...HERO!" said Ganondorf as the eyes on his chest turned from orange, to red. "YEARRRRRRRRRRRRRRG!"  
  
Suddenly, Ganondorf was engulfed in a dark purple light and he began to grow. His appearance began to change and his face began to morph in to a demonic pig-like beast. His sized grew to nearly five times of what he was before and two, huge swords of gold formed in his hands along with snake-like symbols that resembled Majora's Mask. Then, the evil lord and the mask within let out a savage yell.  
  
"THE FIGHT HAS JUST BEGUN!" yelled the demonic Ganon.  
  
Jack and the rest of the X-men looked up in horror as they saw the evil king's new form. With this new presence, came a new surge of energy in the Brotherhood and the Acolytes as they began to fight back even harder against the increasingly fatigued X-men.  
  
"Ten minutes Jack...And it'll all be over!" said the sinister being with a smirk as it lunged forth at Jack and knocked him back.  
  
Jack rose back to his feet slowly as he prepared to fight again, this time the clock was running out.  
  
"Let's end this..." grunted Jack as he became engulfed in a golden light and hovered off the ground.  
  
With a burst of energy, both warriors clashed in an explosion of energy. The force caused the ground to shake and shock waves to rain out in all directions. Jack felt his power grow as he fought to take down this being once and for all. Like before, he used light arrows to stun Ganon and then used his sword to deliver damage, but this time it was miniscule compared to before. Ganon, however, didn't take this damage lying down. Soon he began to mount a powerful counter attack. With a roar of vengeance the beast began to thrash his oversized swords at the young hero. Jack blocked them to the best of his abilities, but they were a lot more powerful than before. He could tell that Ganon was pushing the powers of the mask and his magic to the max. Soon, the demonic king began to land a series of devastating hits on the young man's body.  
  
"Did you really think it would be this easy Jack..." taunted Ganon as he sent Jack flying back once again.  
  
He got up slowly and he began to feel blood seep through his tattered and torn tunic. However, he went back and continued to fight again through the pain.  
  
"It's only a matter of time now!" yelled Ganon as he defended against Jack's attack.  
  
"You're right...It is only a matter of time...FOR YOU!" replied the young hero as the two opposing forces once again found themselves at a bitter stalemate.  
  
"NO!" bellowed the evil beast, "NOT THIS TIME!"  
  
Then, with all his strength, the evil king Ganon let out a massive slash with both swords in hand. Jack tried to block it, but the force of the blow knocked the master sword out of his hands and sent it flying far from the battle arena. Jack began to scramble for it, but before he could he was slammed down by a mysterious blast of dark energy and nearly knocked out.  
  
"Jack..." said Rogue weakly in the distance as she saw this scene unfold. She too was growing weaker from fighting Remy and Pietro. She was cornered by the two minions and was near limits. She couldn't help him this time, for she had grown too weak. However, she kept trying.  
  
From his nearly unconscious state, Jack tried to regain his composure, but Ganon wasn't letting this happen. He went on to slash Jack repeatedly with his swords again and again. Even with the power of the triforce, he was fading fast. He couldn't get his mind straight enough to use it fully. However, it wasn't a spell that was doing this...It was himself. Then, the dark king threw down one of his swords and took the young hero in his oversized hand, using all his strength to squeeze any out any hope still left within Jack's mind.  
  
The rest of the X-men began to show signs of fatigue as well. The immortal and unbending power of the new Brotherhood and Acolytes had finally began to wear them down. Sabertooth now stood before the tattered and broken Wolverine, ready to deliver what promised to be his final blow. Mystique stood before a bruised and tired Kurt as she prepared to take him down too.  
  
"Please...Mother," begged Kurt, "Don't do this."  
  
"I have no choice son," said Mystique with no emotion whatsoever. "Neither of us does."  
  
Lance had worn Kitty down to a breaking point as well. He now stood before her, ready to finish her.  
  
"Lance...You don't have to do this!" begged the young girl to her one time love interest.  
  
"This is beyond anything you, or I for that matter, can control Kitty. I'm sorry," replied the apathetic minion.  
  
Elsewhere, the luck of the team was beginning to run out. Jean was finally succumbing to mental and physical fatigue as Magneto's powers gradually overcame hers. Now, the master of magnetism had her bound in a metal confinement and was choking the life out of her.  
  
Scott was also near his limit as his battered as the unstoppable Blob once again threw his bloodied body against the rocks. He could see Jack's situation the clearest and all that stood between him and the grand battle was the immense Freddy Dukes. He watched as Jack's hopes faded and as Jean stood at Magneto's mercy.  
  
Ganon was truly about to win.  
  
"I didn't even need the spell this time, HERO..." said the demonic king, "I was right after all. You never even had a spell on you in the first place...It was yourself that weakened you to this point. And now...It all ends here."  
  
Scott saw that the source of the entire situation was Ganon. If he was to save Jean, Jack, and everybody he cared about, then the evil incarnation must be destroyed once and for all. However, at the moment he was at the mercy of Fred Dukes who was about to deliver the last blow with his hammer. But Cyclops wouldn't allow this to happen. Scott pushed himself beyond the limits of endurance and used a massive optic blast to knock the immobile Blob away and open up a narrow window of opportunity. Suddenly the ground began to shake, it was the incoming moon. It was starting to get too close. Everybody listened to Ganon as he let out a horrifying laugh. Scott found himself at the fight between Jean and Magneto.  
  
'Don't worry Jean! I'm coming!' yelled Scott through their psychic link.  
  
'No...Scott...Help...Jack. Forget...About...Me!' responded Jean as she neared her limits and repelling Magneto's metal strangle.  
  
'No! I won't!' replied Scott.  
  
'You...Have...To. It's...Our...Only...Hope...'  
  
Scott felt himself hesitate briefly.  
  
'Go Scott...I...Love..........You,' said Jean as her psychic shield was about to give way.  
  
'...I love you Jean,' replied Scott as he turned his attention towards Ganon and Jack.  
  
He ran towards them with all his might. Blob and Pyro tried to catch up with him, but they were too far behind. Both let out a couple of dark energy blasts, but they were dodged. Then, at the edge of the arena, Scott found himself besides the master sword that Ganon had caused Jack to loose. Quickly, he picked it up off the ground, and felt it's power of light surge through him. He then held the sword high.  
  
"Let my aim, be true..." said Scott as he heaved the sword directly at the evil incarnation's head.  
  
Ganon sensed the presence and looked to his side only to see the sword coming directly at his face. He tried to move...But it was too late.  
  
BOOM!  
  
Suddenly a bright flash of white light engulfed the evil beast and it stood paralyzed before the power of the legendary blade. Then, the shaking on the ground stopped.  
  
"No...It...Can't...Be..." stammered the monster as he dropped Jack on to the ground.  
  
Slowly, the dazed hero of time looked up at the stunned monster and stood in shock at the sight of the bright spectacle. He quickly looked to his side to see Scott standing there gazing at the impacted monster. Around them, the enslaved Brotherhood and Acolytes became engulfed in an equally brilliant white light. Jean fell to the ground as she was freed of the metal confinement Magneto had her in. Scott ran over to catch her before the exhausted young lady hit. Mystique was stopped cold before her final attack could reach Kurt. Every minion was now frozen in the intensifying light that surrounded them and Ganon. As the light engulfed the evil king, he just looked at Scott who had thrown that sword.  
  
"A...Mere...Mortal...Defeats...ME!? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"  
  
Suddenly, Jack stood up and became engulfed in a golden light. The triforce symbols on the back of his hand began to glow as well. He felt a strange new surge of energy in his body. Then, out of nowhere, he heard a voice from within.  
  
'Unleash the power...Become one with the triforce.'  
  
Jack felt his powers grow exponentially. It was as if a new force had overtaken him through the power of his will. He then looked at the fallen evil king.  
  
"You loose Ganon...But not because of me...Because of the X-men."  
  
A bright blast of golden light then erupted from Jack's body and engulfed the evil incarnation. With one last great cry of defeat, the dark king Ganon was no more.  
  
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"  
  
The master sword returned to Jack's hand and he held it up high in to the air. Then, the light were the evil king was standing before vanished and in it's place a beam of golden power shot up in to the sky. Jack flew with it and appeared to fuse with it. The bewildered X-men watched in awe as the event before them unfolded. They soon noticed the dark light from the enslaved Brotherhood and Acolytes fly up with the golden beam. And then they were slaves no more. Each former minion simply fell to the ground. The golden beam got brighter as it engulfed the menacing moon above them. All around people watched this spectacle unfold and became hypnotized by its splendor. The world seemed to stand still.  
  
Then, in a bright sparkling aura, the moon and the dark landscape created by the evil king dissolved in a beautiful spectacle of rainbow colored fireworks. The X-men stood before the boundaries of what was once Ganon's battle arena and watched the dark clouds recede and the sun shine once again. Then, the beam of light flickered out and it Jack's body fell back in the pile of rubble left in wake of the event.  
  
"Jack!" yelled Rogue as she ran through the debris over to where she saw his body fall. The others soon followed despite their injuries.   
  
They relentlessly scanned the area for any signs of Jack's body. Finally, they found a tattered figure lying motionlessly. Rogue immediately recognized it.  
  
"Jack?! Oh ma God, Jack!" said Rogue as she ran to his side.  
  
She kneeled down at his side and ran her gloved hands down his face. His eyes slowly opened upon her presence.  
  
"Heya," she said with a warm smile.  
  
"Rogue...We did it...We won."  
  
Soon, the whole team couldn't hold back their feelings of joy. They had triumphed over unimaginable odds and emerged victorious. Even Logan couldn't hold back a smile of jubilation.  
  
Jack put his arm around Rogue's neck as she helped him to his feet. He couldn't help but give her a big smile. She soon found herself smiling back. Jack turned his attention to Scott, who had an exhausted Jean close by his side leaning on him for support.  
  
"You did it again Scott," said Jack, "You saved me...When I couldn't save myself."  
  
Scott smiled back at him and said, "Hey...That's what friends are for man."  
  
Jack wasn't surprised by Scott's humility. He had come to expect that from him. However, he couldn't help but laugh. Scott really was a true friend. Jack then turned his attention to Jean.  
  
"You got yourself a good man there Jean...Real good. Don't ever let a guy like him go...Cause he's one of a kind," said Jack.  
  
"I know...And don't worry, I won't," she said held him closer. Scott could only hold her tighter.  
  
Suddenly, a ghostly figure approached the X-men from behind. Jack instantly recognized it.  
  
"Master..."  
  
The rest of the team turned to see a ghostly being standing before them. He looked remarkable like Jack and had nearly the same clothes. The ghost was none other than the original hero of time himself, Link. Jack slowly approached him as the others could only watch.  
  
"I'm very proud of you Jack...You beat Ganon. Of the countless beings who have wielded the triforce in the past, there has never been a foe that they have had to face as strong as the evil king...Yet you still beat him," said Link with a smile to the team.  
  
"Well, I couldn't have won alone Master. My friends deserve most of the credit," replied Jack.  
  
Link just shook his head and laughed, "I never said they didn't. In fact they deserve more than that...Even I could never complete my journeys by myself. I often need help of those I trusted and those who weren't just friends, but family as well."  
  
A feeling of understanding came over Jack, as he knew Link spoke the truth.  
  
"As for the rest of you all...It's good to know that Jack is in good hands. You can look after him and he can look after you. You see, in the end that's all what a true family really is. Your desire to fight for that which is noble does more than just preserve your honor, it does a great good to the overall balance between the forces of good and evil. Just as long as you never doubt yourselves about one side or the other, you will all attain true peace in the end."  
  
"You mean like fate?" asked Jack.  
  
Link shook his head, "No...If there's one thing I've learned it's that there's no such thing as fate. I never believed in it even though everybody I knew said this whole hero of time thing was my destiny. I just did what I knew was honorable and through it I achieved more good than I ever dreamed. Remember that...You're all in control. You all have the power, it's just a matter of how you use it."  
  
And with that, the first hero of time vanished in a bright light, leaving the X-men to ponder his words. A steady aura of understanding came over them all as they turned around to head home. But before they left, they were confronted once again by the Brotherhood and the Acolytes. The X-men wearily prepared to fight again, but Magneto raised his hand ordering everyone to stand down. They all did so without question.  
  
"You have saved us all from a fate far worse than death. We now have the gift of free will over an eternity of spending a lifetime as slaves to an evil madman. For this...We will not fight you...And I think I can speak for all of us when I say, thank you."  
  
Nobody doubted the master of magnetism's words as none of his associates made a move. Some even looked at the X-men with apologetic looks, but deep down they knew they never had a choice in the first place. And with that, 11 metal orbs descended from the sky and whisked them away.  
  
"Come on team...Let's go home," said Logan.  
  
Now the fight was truly over...For now.  
  
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AN: Well, only one more part left! Stay tuned for the epilogue, which is sure to have more Jack/Rogue in it, even though I thought it would be acceptable if I ended it here. So how have you all liked it? I wish I knew but this story has been greatly lacking in reviews and I don't know why. Please tell me your thoughts. Post them on fanfiction.net or send them to me at slickboy444@aol.com. Thanks again and best wishes to all of you. 


	8. Epilogue

Destiny Of A Hero 8  
  
Epilogue  
  
By: slickboy444  
  
AN: Hey, this is it, the final conclusion to this story! Some real Jack/Rogue and minor Scott/Jean ahead. Despite the terrible LACK of reviews I am uncertain if I will continue. However, I have been greatly enjoying writing this series so that may not be a factor if I get a good idea. Remember, if you want to know the whole series to this point, the stories are "Xtra Member," "Matchmaker," and "Worse Than Death." Before I get started I wish to thank one of my reviewers, Krall, for helping me with this story. And don't forget to REVIEW! Please tell me what you all think by posting it on fanfiction.net or send it to me at slickboy444@aol.com. Remember, I don't own the X-men, Zelda, or any of the songs I may mention in this story so please don't sue. I have nothing. Thanks and I hope you enjoy this story.  
  
All my x-men evolution fics are dedicated to Jen (aka: littlesortaredheadedgirl) the author of the x-men evolution fic "Snow." I highly recommend you all read it.   
  
AN: 'These mean character thoughts.'  
  
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The X-men were victorious. They had triumphed over the evil king Ganondorf and banished him once and for all. Now, the tired team went home and savored their victory. While some had gone off to tend to their injuries, most had gathered in the living room for a celebratory meal. Unlike the victory over Morris, Jack actually smiled in content. Rogue stayed by his side, not that anybody was surprise by that. However, Scott and Jean couldn't help but take notice of this all too familiar situation.  
  
"Hey Red, you seeing what I'm seeing?" said Scott as he observed Jack and Rogue from the other side of the room.  
  
"You bet...Definitely giving me a major case of de ja vu," replied Jean with a wry smile.  
  
They watched as the two kept looking at each other, but turning away. However, Scott and Jean both had a pretty good idea why.  
  
"Man, were we really that oblivious?" said Scott as he saw them.  
  
Jean just sighed, "Well now that I think about it...Yeah, we were."  
  
They both couldn't help but laugh as they saw themselves in Jack and Rogue's situation. It was all too familiar to them and it gave the couple a kind of surreal feeling. It showed how their feelings for each other went a lot deeper than simple puppy love. They saw themselves as if they were right in front of a mirror. Although it was a little sad that they didn't realized it sooner; it was a warm feeling that made them appreciate what had together. Scott soon found himself holding Jean's hand, for no other reason then wanting to feel it's warmth. She entwined her fingers with his as they kept watching Jack and Rogue.  
  
"You think Jack will be okay now?" asked Jean as she held his hand.  
  
"Well, like I said earlier, mental pain can never be cured, only treated. And I think for now, Jack has found the best way to treat that pain," said Scott.  
  
As the night grew darker and the jubilation died down, Jack Robinson couldn't help but feel at peace. Even if it was only brief, it was still a welcomed feeling. He had triumphed over evil like so many others before him had. Now he felt that he truly was...And shall forever be the hero of time. The darkness of his past would never be completely alleviated. He knew that it was still his gravest weakness and it didn't take much to cause him great pain when he was forced to face it. However, he accepted this as his curse. It was something that couldn't go away, but with friends...And family like the ones he had with him now, maybe it didn't have to.  
  
His thoughts then drifted to Rogue; the one he felt knew him the best. She had been a major reason why he was able to stay alive. He felt he owed her his life. With everything he did to help the team, she was the one who helped him in the end. Being around her helped make his pain all the more bearable in a world that never ceases to dish it out. He didn't know it, but she felt the same way. It was like a symbiotic bond where one helped the other feel happy. And happiness for them was all the more precious when so little had been experienced in times past.  
  
As it appeared everybody was about to retire for the night, Jack had one last thing to say to his family.  
  
"You all should be very proud of what you accomplished today. Defeating a man like Ganondorf is not something that should be taken lightly. We all went in to battle against astronomical odds. In the first fight, I had lost to him very badly and I didn't think I could do much better the second time around...But I was wrong. I was wrong because you all proved it to me. You all believed in me when I didn't even believe in myself. I don't know how I'll ever be able to thank you all. But I can say that as long as there is life in my soul, I will always use the great power that I have been blessed with to help and protect all of you. However, I know sometimes it will be you...Who protects me. You all fight for a truly noble purpose."  
  
"Hey, that's what makes us X-men bub," said Logan with a smile.  
  
Jack smiled back as he shook his head, "No, it doesn't just make you X-men...It makes you all true heroes. My master once told me what makes a hero. He said 'A hero is more than one who protects all that he or she believes in for the sake of heart, it is one who isn't afraid to use the time they have been given to bring a change for the better in a world that is constantly unbalanced.' So you see in the end, that's what you all truly are. And even in times of doubt, confusion, or insecurity...Never forget that we are all who we choose to be. And never forget that the choice you all have made...Is one of true honor."  
  
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It was past midnight and most of the institute was sleeping. The events of the past day were finally over and they could all breathe a major sigh of relief. However, some were still awake. Rogue was one of them, she had found herself unable to sleep and was occupying herself with one of her books. However, she couldn't quite get over Jack's little speech earlier. He was the real deal...A true hero. And he had called her and the rest of the team heroes. It was a feeling unlike anything she had felt before. To fight evil in one of its purest forms and come out victorious was something she never thought she could experience. Jack had told her and the rest of the crew that they were largely responsible for the beast's destruction, not him. Even though she felt he was just being modest, she knew there was some truth in his words. She had found herself staying by Jack's side in spite of the events. She felt that his mind was at peace for now. Still unable to sleep she got up and walked down the hallway to Jack's room. Something drew her there, but she wasn't sure what. When she got to his door she realized it was open.  
  
"Jack..." she said as she peeked in.  
  
"Rogue, come in. I had a feeling you'd still be up," replied Jack.  
  
"And what made you think that?" she asked with a grin.  
  
"I wish I knew...I just did for some reason," he responded truthfully. He had come to know Rogue better than anybody else in his short time since joining the institute. And this was largely because...She let him.  
  
She walked in and immediately blushed. Jack wasn't wearing a shirt, just long dark sleeping pants. She hid it as best as she could, but Jack couldn't help but laugh lightly. As Rogue shook it off, she realized Jack was holding something. However, she couldn't quite see what it was.  
  
"What cha got there?" she asked as she tried to get a glimpse of what he was holding.  
  
Jack grew silent for brief moment before looking deeply in to Rogue's eyes. She could tell he had something to say...Something important.  
  
"Rogue, remember when you first told me about your powers? And how you felt that you were destined to never feel another human being for the rest of your life?" Rogue nodded, unsure of what he was getting at. "Well, do you honestly believe that?"  
  
"What do ya mean?" asked Rogue.  
  
Jack paused again for a brief moment for reasons unknown.  
  
"Rogue...If there's one thing I've come to believe in my life, it's that there is no such thing as destiny or fate. Like I said earlier, we are who we choose to be. We are all in control of our own lives...And our futures. Like my master said, 'we have the power, it's just a matter of how we use it.'"  
  
Just then Jack showed he what he had in his hand. It was a necklace, but it didn't look ordinary. It had a small blue jewel that gave off a soft light. It was like the glow of the brightest star in the night sky captured in something one could hold. The southern mutant couldn't help but be entranced by its beauty. Then, he put the necklace in her hand and she felt the gentle warmth it gave off.  
  
"Jack...What is this?" she asked almost completely dumbstruck.  
  
"I'm just making good on a promise I made you," replied Jack.  
  
"What promise?"  
  
"Remember that night at the Bayville spring dance? Remember that promise I made you? This is to break you out of your prison."  
  
Rogue suddenly understood what he was saying. She knew what this necklace must do.  
  
"But...How..."  
  
"I've been working on it for quite a while now," said Jack as he cut her off to explain, "I can't tell you how many attempts it took before it came to this. But I was able to realize in the last few hours that I had been going about this all wrong. I guess I tried to use my brain...When I should have been using my heart."  
  
Rogue felt herself blush upon hearing that last part.  
  
"Does this mean what I think it does?" she asked with a hopeful tone.  
  
"It's not a perfect fix...But for now it'll give you what you need until I can make it permanent. Go ahead...Try it on," said Jack.  
  
Slowly, she put it on her neck and immediately she felt something strange. The light the necklace was giving off was beginning to intensify. She felt a warm sensation and a feeling of calm come over her. All of the sudden, every person she ever absorbed and every image of that person that had been floating in her head, vanished. For the first time in a long time the only thing in her mind was herself.  
  
"Now take my hand..." said Jack as he held it out for her to touch.  
  
The glowing in the necklace died down as she slowly raised her hand to his. Her anxiety grew as it had been so long since she experienced something as simple as touch. Finally, her hand met his and...Nothing happened. No pain, no flashing images, nothing. Jack saw tears forming in her eyes as he gently squeezed her hand and smiled.  
  
"You're free now Rogue...I always keep my promise. And if you ever want to use your powers all you have to do is take the necklace..."  
  
But he didn't finish, he couldn't. Rogue had cut him off with a long, deep kiss. Her lips crashed on to his as she savored the feeling. Jack didn't fight it; he could only kiss back. Somehow he knew his master was watching this and for that he thanked him. This was something the both of them never thought they could share with anybody else ever, but they had found they out now they could. Slowly, they separated. Jack could only look at the smiling Rogue who still had tears in her eyes.  
  
"Is that your way of saying thanks?" asked Jack with a smile.  
  
"Well, maybe it can be from now on," replied Rogue as she smiled back.  
  
"Is that so? Well, then why don't I show you how I say thanks?"  
  
"Be ma guest hero."  
  
And with that, they shared another deep kiss.  
  
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AN: Well, that's it! That's all for "Destiny of a Hero." I hope you all enjoyed it even though I am saddened by the terrible lack of reviews. My whole Zelda/X-men crossover hasn't had a lot of them. I seem to have gotten much more with my "Chosen One" series. So for now, I will stop writing stories that follow this crossover. That means no sequel to this one. Sorry, but there just isn't any demand. Just please review by posting them at fanfiction.net or send them to me at slickboy444@aol.com. Thanks for reading and best wishes to you all. 


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